GEEKWIRE – Aug 14 – Siren is a unique tool that lets women make the first move and takes inspiration from Seattle entrepreneur Susie Lee’s experience as a respected contemporary digital artist. Arriving in the App Store this week, the app gives power to women and ditches the notion of “matching”. While both men and women compile their profiles in the same way, only females are allowed to make the first move, giving her control of visibility and maintaining a certain level of safety. The company has raised $410K and plans to reel in revenue include a sponsored “Question of the Day,” and in-app purchases, along with a membership program.
Month: August 2014
15winks: Tinder With A Twist
CULTURE MAP – Aug 14 – Rather than sizing up romantic potential based on static profiles with a few pics, 15winks users upload 15-second videos to show who they really are. According to founder and chief strategy officer Sam Mendez, 15winks solves some of the major problems inherent in current dating apps and sites because it prevents users from duping one another. 15winks is currently available in the Apple App Store, with the Android version coming soon to the Play Store. After making itself known in the dating scene in Dallas, the app will be introduced to nearby cities.
by Whitney Harris
See full article at Culture Map
BBB Tells eHarmony To Nix Best-Marriage Boasts
ONLINE MEDIA DAILY – Aug 13 – BBB's National Advertising Division said the site should stop advertising that it has been responsible for more happy marriages than other dating sites. The decision came in response to Match.com's challenge to an ad campaign touting eHarmony as the No. 1 site for marriages. The ad campaign drew on a 2013 study commissioned by eHarmony. Match.com said that the study doesn't support eHarmony's claims, as study participants who said they met on Match (24.34%) was almost identical to those on eHarmony (25.04%), and 7.21% met on Yahoo, a co-branded version of Match.com for part of the time period covered by the study. eHarmony said it will take the recommendation into account.
Find That Hot Girl You Passed On The Street With Happn
CNN MONEY – Aug 7 – The new French app keeps a log of all Happn users you cross paths with throughout the day so you can check through the log and get in touch. The potential couple can't communicate unless both people are interested. Happn has already taken off in France, with major growth in other European. It has more than 350K members and 100K daily active users. As with any app that uses geolocation, privacy is a concern. Happn CEO, Didier Rappaport, says that the app doesn't track people and only shares profiles and the approximate location of where paths were crossed. Users can only register for the app using their Facebook accounts to avoid fake accounts.
Shaadi.com Survey: 50% Youth Depend On Parents To Find Partner
DNA INDIA – Aug 10 – When asked about the ideal way to find a partner, 50% respondents said they prefer relying on parents, according to a survey by Shaadi.com. More than 31% youngsters prefer searching online to find a partner of their choice.
IAC: The Big Matchmaker
MARKETPLACE – Aug 8 – Tinder makes ~ 2M “matches” a day and is just one of the online dating brands under the banner of InterActiveCorp that includes Match.com, OkCupid, HowAboutWe, BlackPeopleMeet, and OurTime. Experts thought the future of online dating was in small niche sites, but the big sites are winning for a simple reason. “It’s like a shop,” said Mark Brooks. “You’ve really got to stock the shelves. You can’t make do with a few hundred people. You need to have thousands of active people on a dating site.” IAC doesn't combine all the sites into one because, as Sam Yagan explains, dating is “such an intimate and personal search process, that people care a lot about the emotional affiliation they have with the brand that they choose.” Having the sites under one roof provides opportunities for cross-promotion. The strategy has led IAC to control more than 1/4 of the $2.2B online dating market in the U.S., twice the next biggest competitor, eHarmony.
LUXY Launches For The Rich And Famous
PR WEB – Aug 13 – The social dating app created exclusively for wealthy men and women looking for a serious, long–term relationships, was designed by a famous designer and creates a mobile dating experience based on favorite luxury style brands. With VIP clientele of successful CEOs and celebrities, LUXY is focusing on a smaller, more exclusive database.
Dating Becomes Social With New App Double
OPW – Aug 13 – Location based double dating app aims to make dating more fun, less awkward and safer as people go on dates with friends rather than alone or with random groups. The app links with Facebook profiles so users can invite friends to become their ‘Doubler’. Users will then see the joint profiles of other ‘Doublers’ nearby and can swipe right if they like what they see or left if not. Double will launch in Autumn 2014 and will be available as a free download from the Apple App Store.
Grindr Fights Claims In New Jersey Federal Court
NEW JERSEY LAW JOURNAL- Aug 12 - Grindr is battling a suit brought by a man who alleges the site’s lax age restrictions led him to have a liaison with an underage boy, for which he now faces criminal charges. According to the suit, the 13-year-old was allowed to become a paying member of Grindr even though the site restricts access for persons under age 18. The suit alleges Grindr was negligent for failing to ensure that its members are over the age of majority and for negligently training its employees, agents and representatives. Grindr has filed a motion to dismiss based on the Communications Decency Act that immunizes providers of interactive computer services against liability for information provided by other parties.
by Charles Toutant
See full article at New Jersey Law Journal
Scruff App Selects MWW To Elevate Brand Awareness Among LGBT
PR NEWSWIRE – Aug 12 – As the public relations agency of record, MWW through its LGBT marketing practice will bring attention to Scruff using a multi-pronged communications program that will feature strategic media relations and the leveraging of Scruff's global community to support various philanthropic outreach.