How Short-Form Content Built Trust in Modern Matchmaking
Matchmaking stories rooted in culture, emotion, and reality
CLIENT BRIEF
Bharat Matrimony and Tamil Matrimony aimed to shift how arranged marriages are represented on social media – from idealised success stories to honest, emotionally grounded narratives. The objective was to make the brand feel closer to real life by reflecting the conversations people actually have while navigating marriage, relationships, and family expectations.
The focus was on building trust through authenticity, allowing audiences to see themselves in the content rather than be spoken to by the brand.
The campaign needed to:
• Build emotional resonance with modern audiences
• Reflect authenticity over perfection
• Humanise the matchmaking journey beyond profiles and testimonials
• Drive meaningful engagement across BharatMatrimony and TamilMatrimony platforms
DELIVERABLES
• 15 short-form videos executed end-to-end
• 9 videos for BharatMatrimony
• 6 videos for TamilMatrimony
• End-to-end ownership across:
• Topic research & insight mapping
• Concept development and script frameworks
• Pre-production planning
• Shoot execution
• Post-production and performance-led edits
• Platform-first storytelling designed for:
• Instagram Reels
• Meta short-form formats
• YouTube Shorts
• Performance-optimised edits focused on:
• Watch time
• Retention
• Saves and shares
• Brand integration that felt natural and contextual
Channels
STRATEGY
Social Media Marketing
Audience & Insight Foundation
The primary audience included:
• Individuals about to get married
• Newly married couples adjusting to everyday life
• Married couples navigating shared responsibilities, expectations, and compromises
A secondary audience included:
• Parents experiencing the matchmaking and marriage journey from their own perspective
While emotional truths remained universal, execution was adapted for:
• Bharat Matrimony: Broader, pan-Indian relationship dynamics
• Tamil Matrimony: Region-specific cultural nuances and family contexts
Research & Pre-Production
The strategy began with identifying real, recurring conversations around marriage by analysing:
• Audience comments and reactions across matrimonial content
• Common emotional triggers such as pressure, uncertainty, and adjustment after marriage
• Differences in how individuals and parents perceive marriage
These insights informed both topics and tone, ensuring the content reflected lived experiences rather than generic observations.
Format Strategy: Piece-to-Camera First
The core format for the campaign was piece-to-camera storytelling.
We chose this approach because:
• It creates direct, intimate connection with the viewer
• It feels conversational and honest, not performative
• It mirrors how people naturally express thoughts and confessions
Most videos featured individuals speaking directly to camera, sharing:
• Thoughts people rarely say out loud
• Situations couples and parents instantly recognise
• Emotional contradictions around marriage
Skit-led narratives were used selectively where a situation required visual context, but the dominant format remained piece-to-camera to preserve authenticity.
Hooks, Visual Language & Thumbnails
• Each video opened with a strong hook in the first 2–3 seconds, framed as a familiar statement or thought
• Language was kept simple and conversational to stop scroll behaviour
• Thumbnails focused on facial expressions and emotional moments rather than heavy text
• Visuals were minimal and realistic, ensuring the content felt native to feeds
The structure prioritised relatability, replay value, and emotional recall.
Performance
“Real Talk, Real Matches” helped BharatMatrimony and TamilMatrimony move closer to their audiences by speaking in a voice that felt real, direct, and emotionally honest. The campaign delivered strong results across both platforms, demonstrating high audience resonance and sustained engagement.
On Bharat Matrimony, the highest-performing content recorded 380K+ views, reached 320K+ users, and generated 35K+ interactions, including 35K+ likes. The videos achieved an average watch time of 7+ hours, indicating strong viewer retention and repeat consumption driven by highly relatable, piece-to-camera storytelling.
On Tamil Matrimony, top-performing content achieved 565K+ views with a reach of 457K+ users, driving nearly 2K interactions and over 1.9K likes. The content maintained an average watch time of 6+ hours, reinforcing deep audience attention and strong cultural relevance.
By leading with piece-to-camera storytelling, supported by insight-led topics and subtle brand presence, the campaign:
• Normalised honest conversations around marriage
• Built emotional trust with modern audiences
• Encouraged viewers to see their own experiences reflected
• Demonstrated that direct, human storytelling drives deeper engagement