BUSINESS WEEK – Jan 3 – Today, Tinder’s users are finding fake profiles for The Mindy Project actors Mindy Kaling and Chriss Messina and appeals to watch the Fox sitcom. The ad campaign follows a similar July tie-in with the USA Network (CMSCA) program Suits, which didn’t bring Tinder any revenue.
Month: January 2014
Christian Mingle Creates Its Own Movie
OREGON FAITH REPORT – Jan 3 – Home Theater Films announces their newest film, Christian Mingle, directed by Corbin Bernsen. This new romantic comedy will be produced in partnership with ChristianMingle.com. A young, modern, single woman is trying to achieve it all — a successful career, amazing friends and finding Mr. Right.
4.6 Million Snapchat Usernames And Phone Numbers Leaked
MASHABLE – Jan 1 – Anonymous hackers posted the information on a website called SnapchatDB.info. The hackers used a recently published Snapchat API exploit to access the photo-messaging app's usernames and phone numbers.
by Anita Li
See full article at Mashable
Mark Brooks: Aclipsa can help secure your mobile videos. They'll be attending iDate. (Full Disclosure: Aclipsa are a client of Courtland Brooks and OPW sponsor)
Grouper Heads To London
MALAYMAIL ONLINE – Jan 2 – Grouper, the online social club, launches in London on January 16th. Grouper focuses on low-pressure group dating, in which users sign up via Facebook, invite two “wingmen,” pay a fee of $20 for each person, and then answer some questions. Grouper then matches the trio with another trio of potential mates.
Love Blooms On Dating Website For Farmers
SF CHRONICLE – Jan 1 - FarmersOnly.com is an online dating site for agricultural types. When Miller created FarmersOnly in 2005, most of the areas he wanted to target didn't have Internet service. The company stumbled along for a few more years until Wi-Fi became more widespread. Now, the site has ~1M members. The membership costs $21.95 a month.
by Stacy Finz
See full article at SF Gate
MeetMe Launches New Dating App Choosy
HEAVY – Jan 1 – The founders of MeetMe have launched a new dating app called Choosy for Android. Choosy lets users show off their personalities by asking icebreaker questions. Catherine Cook the co-founder of MeetMe says, “I know too well just how many low quality messages you receive. Choosy provides a useful filter. Only people who answer your question ‘right’ can message you – and now you have something to talk about.”
LikeBright Acquires MatchMate
PR NEWSWIRE – Dec 31 – LikeBright, a dating platform that matches Facebook friends of friends, has acquired MatchMate, a matchmaking software company. MatchMate was founded in 2012 by several Utah entrepreneurs, including John Richards who also invests in LikeBright's current round and serves on its advisory board.
The full article was originally published at IT News Online, but is no longer available.
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
It Takes 1 Year To Find A Spouse On eHarmony
THE SLANTED – Dec 30 - eHarmony has surveyed its married couples to find out “How Long Does it Take to Meet Your Spouse?" ~70% of respondents meet their spouse within a year. The median time from when people are matched to when they marry is 1.8 years. The average pair lived 20.2 miles apart when they were first matched. On average, husbands are 2.39 years older than their wives.
Holidays: The Busiest Time For Dating Sites
MARKET WATCH – Dec 30 - Zoosk typically sees a 26% increase in signups during the two weeks after Christmas. Grindr had a 15% rise in activity on Thanksgiving and ~30% to 50% increase on Dec. 25. Tinder experiences a 5% to 7% surge in users on Dec. 26. “Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and New Year are when singles around the dinner table think, ‘Maybe it would be better to have a partner,’” says Mark Brooks, a dating-industry analyst. “That’s when they start hitting dating sites in droves and go on dates before the indigestion sets in.” "Family should come first. They’re going to be around for you long after your relationships,” he says. “The trick with holiday dating is to make sure no one feels neglected.”
by Quentin Fottrell
See full article at Market Watch
See all posts on Zoosk
See all posts on Grindr
See all posts on Tinder
CEO Q&A: Sam Yagan, Match.com
PR WEEK – Dec 30 - Sam Yagan, CEO of Match.com, talks about how Match.com differentiates itself in an oversaturated market.
Q: How do you contend with the growing number of niche dating sites?
A: We see new sites pop up every week, but it all comes down to scale, innovation, and success. Our PR is aimed toward core users (20-40s). Our PeopleMedia brands use a more niche, targeted PR approach.
Q: What are Match's biggest challenges?
A: Safety and security.
Q: What off-site offerings does Match have?
A: Our singles events – Stir. We are now holding ~400 events a month in 80 markets.
Q: What role does PR play with your site?
A: It helps to change the perception of online dating as an authentic means of finding a relationship.
Q: How do you get the word out?
A: We continually issue interesting data such as our annual Singles in America study. We use social platforms to engage with our current, former, and potential new members.
Q: What's on the horizon for next year?
A: We have several big initiatives in place, including our 4th annual Singles in America study that will launch in February.
by Diana Bradley
See full article at PR Week