Tinder has named a new chief marketing officer as the dating-app giant seeks to recruit new users, especially those under 25 years old, and as the loosening of pandemic-related lockdowns seems likely to boost in-person dating.
George Felix, a veteran marketing executive for companies including Yum Brands Inc., the owner of Pizza Hut and KFC, and consumer-goods giant Procter & Gamble Co. , will start his new role on April 26, according to Tinder, part of Match Group Inc. He succeeds former Tinder CMO Jenny Campbell, who left the company in November 2020.
Dating apps showed some resilience during the pandemic even as government-mandated lockdowns and other restrictions limited the ability for people to meet and date each other in person.
And top dating apps in the U.S., including Tinder and other Match Group properties such as Hinge, saw increases in daily active users, time spent and downloads in the fourth quarter of 2020, especially as the world began to show signs of emerging from the pandemic.
Tinder, which accounts for more than half of Match Group’s revenue, generated nearly $1.4 billion in revenue in 2020, up 18% over the previous year, by selling subscriptions and paid user features on its platform.
Executives hope to capitalize on Gen Z—those under 25 years old—to sustain growth.
Gen Z users tried new Tinder features such as video chats during the pandemic, which complicated in-person meetings, the company said. Nearly 50% of Gen Z Tinder users had a video chat with a match during the pandemic—more than any other generation on the platform—and many are planning to continue using the feature after the pandemic is over, according to a study released by the company.
“More than half of [Tinder’s] membership is under the age of 25 and the way they are meeting people and defining relationships is completely different from anyone that has come before them,” Mr. Felix said in an email interview. “As a marketer, the possibilities for the Tinder brand are endless as a new generation comes onto the app.”
Before Tinder, Mr. Felix was CMO of Pizza Hut and director of marketing for KFC. At Procter & Gamble, he worked on notable ad campaigns for Old Spice, including the award-winning and popular “Smell Like a Man” campaign.
Write to Sahil Patel at [email protected]
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
