The Tinder Twitter Rant Was a Message-Owning PR Stunt
Charlotte Joyce Kidd — August 17, 2015 — Lifestyle
What at first seemed like an out-of-control Tinder Twitter rant turned out to be a PR stunt designed by the company to change the conversation about their brand.
The Tinder Twitter incident was a response to a critical article which blamed the photo-based dating app for the decline of traditional socialization and dating among millennials. Seeking to shift public attention towards the benefits of Tinder's model for meeting singles, the company sent out a series of tweets that appeared to be the work of a rogue PR agent. The tweets pointed out the app's virtues, such as the fact that it has connected many married couples and the idea that it creates "a level playing field" by letting users communicate only after they have both expressed mutual attraction.
Had the Tinder tweets been framed as a calculated response, they would likely not have garnered the attention they did when staged as the outburst of an angry, passionate Tinder employee.
The Tinder Twitter incident was a response to a critical article which blamed the photo-based dating app for the decline of traditional socialization and dating among millennials. Seeking to shift public attention towards the benefits of Tinder's model for meeting singles, the company sent out a series of tweets that appeared to be the work of a rogue PR agent. The tweets pointed out the app's virtues, such as the fact that it has connected many married couples and the idea that it creates "a level playing field" by letting users communicate only after they have both expressed mutual attraction.
Had the Tinder tweets been framed as a calculated response, they would likely not have garnered the attention they did when staged as the outburst of an angry, passionate Tinder employee.
Trend Themes
1. Branded PR Stunts - By framing a calculated response as an outburst, brands can generate increased attention and engagement around their message.
2. Controlled Social Media Outbursts - Social media outbursts that are planned and controlled can help brands shift public attention towards positive aspects of their business.
3. Viral Communications Strategies - Planned viral communication can be leveraged as a tactic to create conversations and buzz around a brand's values and propositions.
Industry Implications
1. Marketing and Advertising - Opportunities exist for marketing and advertising agencies to create and execute viral communication strategies and PR stunts.
2. Technology and Social Media - Social media companies and startups can learn from Tinder's approach to shifting public attention towards positive aspects of their platform through controlled social media outbursts.
3. Consumer Goods and Services - A similar approach to controlled social media outbursts can be taken by consumer goods and services brands to disrupt conversations and shifts consumer perceptions around their values.
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