BRAND EQUITY - Feb 17 - Nine out of ten brands copy the one successful player's strategy. You ought to copy smart not to get sued. Indian dating app TrulyMadly feels that Tinder has been copying its initiatives ever since the dating app started in India.
Allegation #1
In Nov '15, TrulyMadly teamed up with restaurants to provide offers to its users to encourage them to go on a date, called Datelicious. In Jan '16 Tinder India announced a similar offer with Zomato, called 'Tinderlicious'.
Allegation #2
In Aug '15, TrulyMadly started speed dating. In Jan '16, Tinder tied up with Food Walk India for #DinnerWithStrangers initiative.
Allegation #3
Tinder recently did a video with content creators The Viral Fever (TVF) titled 'Eat, Pray...Swipe'. "It was the same script that TVF had pitched us first and my content team had rejected it", claims TrulyMadly. To say Tinder is copying TrulyMadly by getting TVF is stretching it a tad. Also, speed dating originated in Jerusalem in 1974. So, none can claim copyright for the idea. Sumesh Menon, co-founder & CEO of Woo (yet another match-making app) thinks Tinderlicious is just happy coincidence. "They are a big company, globally. We look up to them. But I feel Tinder is just taking shortcuts", says Sachin Bhatia, co-founder & CEO of TrulyMadly.
by Shephali Bhatt
See full article at Brand Equity
See all posts on Tinder
See all posts on Truly Madly
Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team