Knorr put friends in charge of introducing single cooks

A friend’s first name, age range and signature dish became the ingredients for a dating introduction. With #ServingSingles, Knorr encouraged people to make TikTok videos recommending their single friends who loved to cook.

The campaign, announced in February 2026, built on the #DateMyFriend trend. People were already using social media to introduce friends to potential partners. Knorr gave those recommendations a specific focus, asking friends to show what made the cook in their group worth meeting.

The brand then helped selected introductions reach a wider audience, giving everyday single cooks visibility through its own media support.

A signature dish gave each introduction something personal

The invitation was straightforward. Participants could introduce a single friend on TikTok, share their signature dish and use Knorr’s branded filter and #ServingSingles hashtag.

That gave the recommendation a concrete subject. A dish could show someone’s interests and the effort they put into cooking, while their friend supplied the introduction.

Through a TikTok Branded Mission, Knorr encouraged these nominations and boosted compelling submissions. The campaign used the format of a friend’s endorsement as its advertising material, letting participants explain why someone they knew deserved attention.

Research connected cooking with dating fatigue

Knorr commissioned research into the dating habits of younger adults. The brand reported that young singles spent around 156 hours a year on dating apps while making an average of six meaningful connections.

The same research found that 64% would trust a date recommendation from a friend. Those findings gave the campaign a reason to combine a familiar social trend with cooking.

The study also pointed to interest in cooking as an attractive quality in a potential partner. Knorr used that appeal to make kitchen skills the starting point for an introduction.

US events took the introductions beyond social media

The US rollout paired social content with an Eventbrite partnership. Knorr announced singles events across five cities in mid-to-late February.

The programme included cooking classes in New York and Miami, speed dating in Chicago, a comedy show in Houston and meditation in Los Angeles. Referral ticket bundles allowed attendees to bring a friend.

Creator content also demonstrated the idea. Rodrigo Reyes introduced Molly O’Connell, while Joe Ferrucci introduced Jordan Keltner through videos featuring their friends’ signature dishes made with Knorr.

These activations gave the campaign ways to move from an online recommendation to an opportunity to meet people.

Knorr extended its earlier cooking-as-a-green-flag idea

#ServingSingles followed Knorr’s earlier work positioning cooking as a positive signal in dating. This campaign placed more of the introduction in a friend’s hands.

MullenLowe developed the creative from social listening, Mindshare handled media across social and traditional channels, and Weber Shandwick developed the global PR strategy with regional execution.

The invitation kept cooking central to Knorr’s role. People could recommend a friend by showing a dish they made, giving potential dates something specific to respond to and the brand a place in the introduction.

Credits

Brand: Knorr, Unilever. Campaign: #ServingSingles. Creative Agency: MullenLowe. Executive Creative Director: Carlos Andrés Rodríguez. Media Agency: Mindshare, WPP Media. Global PR: Weber Shandwick. Global Head of Digital and Masterbrand, Knorr: Nicky Neerscholten. Research: Censuswide. US events partner: Eventbrite. US creator participants: Rodrigo Reyes, Molly O’Connell, Joe Ferrucci and Jordan Keltner. Campaign announcement: February 2026.