Bumble's latest 'Kindness is Sexy' ad soaks in the festive fervour

Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app, has released its latest ad as part of its global campaign Kindness is Sexy.

Featuring a same-sex couple, Deon and Rudra, the ad is in tune with the ongoing festive season. A Punjabi boy takes garba classes for a month, and visits his Gujarati boyfriend in the traditional attire 'Kediyu'. Meanwhile the Punjabi boy has also taken the efforts to learn Punjabi to chat with his mom. The ad has a simple message: 'From Punjab to Gujarat & back, going the extra mile for love pays off.'

The campaign launched in July, with the first ad featuring actor Aditya Roy Kapoor.

Speaking during the launch of the campaign, Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, said, “When we approach dating with kindness, we help create an environment of respect and compassion, and for connections to grow. Kindness is a core value here at Bumble, and we know it is the driving force behind our mission of creating healthy and equitable relationships. This new content helps redefine the idea of attraction and encourages us to never lose sight of the most valuable traits in a relationship.”

A Bumble survey found that an overwhelming majority (81%) of respondents in India agree that kindness is sexy now more than ever before and 56% of respondents value kindness over physical attributes in a potential partner.

Bumble treads on a slippery slope with this ad. Last year, Dabur's Fem faced social media trolling after it launched an ad showing a queer couple celebrating Karva Chauth. Social media users claimed it was a blight on Hinduism and called for a boycott of Dabur and its Fem products. Later, the brand had to apologise and withdraw the ad.