Tinder Positions Itself As A “Social Discovery App” To Attract Korean Users

The 2018 Winter Olympics brought a flurry of Tinder activity to South Korea. Competitors in the Olympic Villages received free Tinder Gold upgrades, while premium users around the world used the Passport feature to change their location to PyeongChang in hopes of matching with an athlete. Tinder reported a 1,850 percent increase in “passporting” swipers and a 348 percent increase in overall Tinder usage in the Olympic Villages.

Outside of the Olympic Games, it’s a different story for Tinder. The dating platform has struggled to outdo local services in South Korea, where meeting a romantic partner via a mobile app is not yet as socially acceptable as it has become in many western nations. Despite these difficulties, Tinder CEO Elie Seidman believes South Korea is a crucial testing ground for the service, and in a press conference in Seoul, Seidman indicated the company would take a different tack as it looks to expand in Asia.

“South Korea is an important market for us because of the market itself, but also because of the cultural influence it has over the broader Asia region,” Seidman said. “Not only do most Koreans have smartphones and use social media, but the country wields a lot of influence in Asia through K-pop and the Korean wave.”

“We once worked together with Korean celebrities Kim Jong-kook and Haha to have them use Tinder during a trip in Vietnam [for a web TV series],” said Lyla Seo, regional director of Tinder in East Asia. “We saw a huge surge in Tinder users in Vietnam following the program.”

Tinder’s new approach to marketing in South Korea highlights the app’s capabilities as a social networking tool for millennials. Seidman referred to the service as a “social discovery app” during the press conference, saying it would provides users more opportunities to expand their networks and build a community.

“It is not to find a permanent relationship. It is to expand your network and relationship... ‘experience culture’ is a very important part of millennial culture,” he said. “Part of the reason why [Tinder] has been so successful with young people is because it focuses on their experience of building friendships as many of them are still worried about [that].”

To support its rebranding as a friendship app in South Korea, Tinder launched a localized campaign designed to match users with similar habits and occupational interests. The service debuted in December 2018 with an ad campaign called “Find Friends on Tinder.” Tinder also plans to introduce more marketing activities targeting Korean college students and to launch a scholarship program.

If all goes well, Tinder hopes to use the influence of Korean culture as leverage for its pan-Asian expansion. The company also recently intensified its presence in India, where it hopes to take on rival Bumble in one of Asia’s biggest markets.

For more on this dating service, please read our review of the Tinder app.