Hip and happning: French dating app happn refreshes brand proposition

French dating application happn, which launched in India in 2017, aims to provide its 37 million Indian users an elevated dating experience with an overall brand refresh, both in terms of look and proposition. It has launched CrushPoints, which will allow singles to add to their profile a selection of their favourite places, divided into six categories: events, bars, restaurants, sports, culture and outdoors. Considering what the world witnessed and experienced during the Covid crisis and now with the economic and geopolitical crises, happn wanted to infuse some colour to encourage positive thinking and this is why the brand came up with a new look.

The app is using pairing colors that represent the different places you go to. Green, for example, represents the outdoors. Orange represents the places of culture one goes to. “happn is going even further with CrushPoints, which enables happners to meet singles who like and go to the same places as them. It builds trust and community by discovering people with shared interests,” said Karima Ben Abdelmalek, CEO, happn, adding, “What is important for happn in terms of competitive positioning is to be unique and offer a real-life experience based on geolocation but also on the places you love.”

Plans for India

The new feature Crush Points will be available in 18 countries and over 40 cities, which include local Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. In India, happn is currently accessible in English, Hindi and Telugu.

“India is an upcoming tech industry India. It is the hub of technology, innovation and AI. That’s why we want to invest more in India and have Europe and India build something together. We plan to execute our goals throughout the country and not only in the big cities in the coming months,” Abdelmalek said.

Influencer marketing

“Our partnership with Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan during the launch phase was a strategic move to leverage his influence and raise awareness about happn. Since then, we have experienced tremendous growth in India, with over 37 million users, making it happn’s largest market,” Abdelmalek revealed.

As part of happn’s evolving strategy, the brand is now focusing on women’s empowerment and exploring collaborations with women creators. Currently, happn doesn’t have any plans to engage a celebrity or brand ambassador, opting instead for social media and influencer marketing. “We have already done collaborations with some powerful women in India like Kriti Sanon, Ahsaas Channa and Tanya Maniktala in the last few years. Now, we are actively seeking partnerships with other female creators for our upcoming campaigns, as we believe in the power of diverse voices and perspectives for promoting happn,” said Abdelmalek.