Knorr’s campaign for Gen Z daters drives Desire at Scale

For Knorr, its green flag logo is a signpost of quality. For modern daters, a green flag is a great reason to swipe right. To explore how Knorr could use this insight to connect with Gen Z dating culture, the brand carried out a set of user surveys with the world’s most downloaded dating app.

“Red flags and green flags are a universal filter for daters, creating thousands of comments and social posts,” says Nicky Neerscholten, Global Head of Digital & Masterbrand Knorr.

“But dating rules are confusing for 98% of Gen Z. Even splitting the bill can divide opinion, so we decided to find out the best green flags to have on a profile.”

Cooking is the ultimate green flag for Gen Z singles

The survey (PDF 1.43 MB) discovered a series of interests that dating singles find attractive including:

• 34% have learnt to cook specifically to impress a romantic interest
• 52% value the confidence to add personal touches to a recipe
• For 77% of singles, being cooked for increases the likelihood of a first date turning into a second
• 88% of Gen Zs surveyed are more likely to connect with someone on a dating app if they can cook or have an interest in cooking
• 93% of Gen Z singles see cooking as the ultimate green flag

A social-first partnership built for authenticity and engagement

All of these insights inspired Knorr to create its biggest social-first campaign, championing the power of cooking and Knorr’s great flavours to help single people raise their dating game.

Using the hashtag #UnlockYourGreenFlag, the campaign saw Knorr’s logo serve a double purpose as a call to action for daters and a signpost to recipes for the perfect date night.

The campaign encouraged online daters to add cooking to their profile to get recipe advice and tips, and their engagement saw these Gen Z dating profiles become a new media channel with users as ambassadors for the brand and cooking’s desirability.

To tap into different dating cultures, Knorr also teamed up with more than 284 cooking and dating experts in 29 markets and seven different languages. Each had the freedom to create content and dishes that resonated with local audiences, from street-style interviews to cooking and dating specialists sharing real success stories.

Global insight, cultural relevance and local influence

“It was a global insight, but then it was locally executed and that’s where we got all the sweet spots,” Nicky says. And this openness meant Nicky and Knorr’s global teams were constantly surprised and delighted by gems unearthed by local creators.

In the US, they discovered that couples used Knorr’s #UnlockYourGreenFlag recipes to cook together and reconnect. In Mexico, an influencer dressed as a bride and asked Knorr to marry him.

“It became very interactive, people started voting, saying to Knorr ‘you have to marry him’, and people really engaged,” Nicky says.

And in Italy, South Africa and the Philippines, dater engagement with #UnlockYourGreenFlag’s content and community turned into real-life dating events, with 80% of attendees leaving with a date.

Driving impact and growth, delivering Desire at Scale

The campaign’s success has seen #UnlockYourGreenFlag recipes and content reach 700 million impressions, over 12 million singles engaging with 865,000 influencer posts.

In the US, purchase intent among Gen Z has increased by over 3%, and in the Philippines, Knorr’s brand uplift among 18–35-year-olds has risen by more than 15%.

“Using our green flag logo to unlock a new role for Knorr as a dater’s trusted cooking companion has given our brand a new sense of fun and cultural currency with Gen Zs,” says Nicky.

“By blending data-driven insight, cultural participation, and social-first activation, it’s seen Knorr become much more than a store cupboard staple. The brand’s become a catalyst for connection. This impact means our great flavours are reaching and exciting new audiences, and that’s delivering growth and Desire at Scale.”