iWorld
Zeenat Aman gives modern dating crash course on Tinder’s Swipe Ride
Mumbai: Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people, is back with an all new episode of Swipe Ride, a show that celebrates uninhibited, meaningful conversations about what Indian women want from their dating lives, with Zeenat Aman as the surprise celebrity guest! Popular social media content creator and actor, Kusha Kapila, takes the driver’s seat once again to pick up Tinder users to meet their dates. The episode premiered on Friday, 15 September, 2023 on Tinder’s Youtube channel and stream exclusively on JioCinema.
Veteran actress and eternal beauty Zeenat Aman shared her advice for young women on the latest episode of Tinder’s Swipe Ride, “Dating is an incredibly personal journey, and you must navigate it on your terms. As women, we are subjected to so many pressures in life, but here’s what I’ve learnt: go with the flow, pursue your passions, experiment, cherish your relationships, and build a life that fills your soul. Then, when love comes along, it’ll simply enhance the beauty of your existence, not define it. This episode of Tinder’s Swipe Ride is a reminder for all women to talk openly, express your desires and share your hopes and dreams. Finding true chemistry is rare, and when you do, seize it with both hands!”
During the conversation, Zeenat talks about how dating has transformed into a healthier landscape for the younger generation today with conversations around mental health, therapy and depression no longer being taboo. This sentiment resonates with 43 per cent women daters in India who believe dating is healthier (more honest, more open, with a focus on prioritising mental health) for 18-25 year olds today than it was before.* The trio also chat about how dating apps like Tinder offer a vast pool of choices for Gen Z today. Unlike the pre-Tinder era when dating was limited to introductions through parents’ friends, dating apps enable choice and agency. This holds true for 57 per cent young women daters in India who agree that dating apps allow them to meet people they would otherwise never have met – even those outside their social circle opening them up to a world of endless possibilities.*
“Swipe Ride celebrates the diverse perspectives of young Indian women and their dating journeys in a relatable context. At Tinder, our focus has always been to encourage inclusivity, autonomy, and create a safe, non-judgmental space where women are free to choose, discover and interact with like-minded people, and be their most authentic, comfortable self – this show is an extension of that IRL.” said Tinder India marketing director Anukool Kumar.
To empower young women in India to navigate the world of online dating and prioritise their wellbeing, Tinder has recently launched Tinder Love and Care (TLC), a dating wellness guide developed in collaboration with That Sassy Thing. TLC features advice and insights from 15 prominent female experts and queer voices in India, covering a range of topics such as sexual health, intimacy, and fostering honest conversations with dates, all while prioritising self-care.
Co-created with film director Debbie Rao along with popular writer Supriya Joshi, Swipe Ride series is a product of the coming together of these women who like to call their own shots whether it’s in their careers, or their dating lives.
*A study of 1000, 18-25 year old dating singles pan-India between April – May 2023 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder.
iWorld
Meta introduces new AI tools to boost discovery-to-purchase journey
From shoppable Reels to generative video, platforms get smarter at turning attention into sales.
MUMBAI: Meta is turning “scroll and stop” into “scroll, stop, and shop” and it’s using AI to make the whole journey feel almost effortless. The company has announced several new tools and enhancements designed to help brands guide people from discovery to purchase more effectively, while delivering more relevant and personalised experiences across its platforms.
Creators can now add product links more broadly on Instagram Reels, turning their content into shoppable moments. Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to share their product catalogues with creators, opening up a new sales channel for brands and fresh monetisation opportunities for creators.
The Creator Marketplace has also been upgraded with enhanced target audience filtering, integrated with Ads Manager. This helps businesses quickly find creators who are a strong match for their goals. Campaigns using Partnership Ads deliver, on average, 19 per cent lower CPAs, 13 per cent higher click-through rates, and 71 per cent higher median brand lift.
Meta is expanding Reels Trending Ads inventory with new content categories including TV & Movies, Travel, Business, Finance & Investments. According to Meta’s analysis of 59 studies, Reels Trending Ads delivered an incremental 6.6 percentage point Ad Recall lift compared to control groups.
AI-Powered Shopping Enhancements
- Product Set Optimisation is now in testing, allowing retail media networks to promote specific products with detailed reporting. Early results show 17 per cent lower median seller cost per purchase.
- Product Showcase is being expanded so marketers can upload one image or video and let Meta’s AI automatically add relevant products as a carousel when it improves performance.
Meta is expanding its generative AI capabilities with:
- UGC-style videos featuring avatars and voiceovers
- Easier voiceover translation and text overlay translation in a single streamlined flow
- New tools to automatically turn product catalogues into dynamic video ads for Reels
Early testing of the Advantage+ creative video generation tool showed a 10 per cent increase in CTR and 8 per cent increase in CVR on average. Campaigns using catalog product video saw 20 per cent more conversions per dollar, while Reels placements with catalog product video delivered 33 per cent higher incremental conversions.
Industry voices welcomed the updates. Vikas Chawla of Social Beat called Partnership Ads a “flywheel” for authentic content that converts. Niti Kumar of Spark Foundry and Sadhvi Dhawan of Blink Digital highlighted the power of Reels Trending Ads for cultural relevance and guaranteed share of voice. Ramasish Bhowmik of Adbuffs noted that Meta’s GenAI tools are giving teams a clear competitive edge.
In a world where attention is fleeting but shopping intent can spark in seconds, Meta is betting that smarter AI will help brands turn discovery into decisions faster than ever. The message is clear: the future of advertising isn’t just about reaching people, it’s about reaching them at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right product.
