WOW Air - Tinder Contest

WOW Air - Tinder Contest

In a campaign that business and economics blog Slate.com called “unabashedly tacky”, Icelandic low cost carrier WOW Air is using Tinder (a somewhat controversial dating app that matches local singles based mainly on looks) to match itself with potential customers and promote new routes connecting North America to Iceland and beyond to Europe.

The tagline for this promotion is “Flirt Your Way To Iceland.” To take part, people simply need to download the Tinder app (if they aren’t already using it) and swipe right to match with WOW Air. The airline will then match the contestant back, which enables the two to chat. It is then the contestant’s duty to send the best flirty pick-up line they’ve got to the airline and hope their advance is rewarded.

WOW Air made use of Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about this contest, and has employed another ‘happening’ social platform, Snapchat, to share pictures of some comical lines they’ve been sent.

This type of edgy marketing gimmick is not for every airline, but works well for the quirky and colourful WOW Air. It also proves that a single set of airline tickets (unsold seats, most likely) and a clever idea is all you need to create a big buzz on social media.

The WOW Air Tinder campaign was covered by Conde Nast Traveller and landed WOW Air on a list of small airlines “rocking” social media.