Marriage app Muzz courts Muslim singles in Mumbai with cheeky billboards

The matchmaking app Muzz has launched its first billboard campaign in Mumbai, the trade site Global Dating Insights and the news site ThePrint reported on 30 October. Muzz was founded in London in 2015 by Shahzad Younas as Muzmatch, renamed in 2022, and describes itself as a marriage app for Muslims; it says it has around 20 million members worldwide. The campaign comes nearly 18 months after the company expanded its operations in India; a social media campaign is running across the country alongside it. In 2023, Muzz reported more than 230,000 users in India.

The ads rely on humour and provocation. At a bus stop, large letters read 'Women go back to the kitchen' – with a smaller line underneath: 'Don't marry someone who says that.' Another billboard takes aim at rivals: 'Stop bumbling around, you've hinged enough', combined with a call to get married 'the halal way'. A further Hinglish slogan pokes fun at Bollywood star Salman Khan: staying single suits 'Salman Bhai', but not you. Founder Younas told MediaNews4U: 'The journey to finding a life partner can come with a lot of expectations, opinions and, sometimes, pressure.'

Muzz presents itself as a marriage-oriented alternative to mainstream dating apps and, according to ThePrint, aims to modernise traditional, often family-arranged matchmaking ('rishta'). The app offers filters for sect and religious preferences, photo privacy options, voice and video calls and the option to include a wali – a guardian or trusted family member – in conversations. Muzz had previously held a singles evening in Mumbai at which participants connected via QR codes in the app instead of exchanging phone numbers.