Tinder promises 'friends with benefits' (but not the kind you're thinking of)

Tinder directly confronts its semi-sordid brand perception in this amusing Thailand campaign by Wunderman Thompson. The ad attempts to convince people to consider the app as a source of platonic friendships rather than merely a machine for on-demand hookups. Whether it can succeed remains to be seen. But if it can be done, humour is the way to do it, and this film is full of it.

For the record, the agency asserts that some users already look to the app for social, rather than sexual, relationships. However, it also says it "dug deep" into user data to come up with this fact. 

Anyway, the English copy here is a delight. And although Ad Nut can't assess the Thai voiceover (What, it's not enough that a squirrel is fluent in one language?), the agency informs us that the campaign coined a new term, Puen Sampan which "twists the word for 'sex' into a brand new word for 'friendship'".

Related:

• The ECD on this campaign, Thasorn Boonyanate, was responsible for one of our favourite pieces of work in 2020. See "Dear client: Thank you for cancelling our work".
• Tinder also made a move to burnish its image in India recently, with romance-focused work by BBH. See "Tinder fills India ad with hopeful meet-cute moments". 

CREDITS

Agency : Wunderman Thompson, Thailand
Chief Creative Officer : João Braga
Chief Executive Officer : Maureen Tan
Executive Creative Director : Thasorn Boonyanate
Copywriter : Supalerk Silarangsri, Supanat Wachiralappaitoon, Thasorn Boonyanate
Art Director : Supachok Tiyakunpugdee, Wasutorn Techawitoon, Natnari Nimudomsuk
Producer : Jiraporn Channawach, Jiroj Mechoojit
Account Director : Rynrada Pisawongprakarn
Account Executive : Pufah Nuntavisit

Production House : Unboxnow
Director : Littichai Siriprasitpong
Director of Photography : T-Thawat Taifayongvichit
Producer : Arunwan So

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