MIRROR.CO.UK – May 19 – Brandon Wade set up controversial dating site Seeking Arrangement and is hosting the UK's first 'Sugar Baby' summit. He has said love is for poor people and women look for an older lover because men are "more successful". He was joined by Emma Gammer, an experienced 'Sugar Baby' who defended the dating site, but Good Morning Britain's Ben Shephard questioned whether it was "prostitution".
by Kyle O'Sullivan
See full article at Mirror.co.uk
THE VERGE – May 17 – Dating apps are quick to try new trends. But when it comes to video, options are lacking. Top dating apps such as Tinder, Happn or Hinge don't allow users to share or upload videos. Earlier this year, Bumble announced its plan to add 10-second clips to its service, though it's yet to be made available. "Video is scary," says Behzad Behrouzi, who oversees product operations at Lively, a video-based dating app. Lively launched in 2016 under the umbrella of Zoosk. In March, Lively introduced Quickies, a Snapchat-like feature that allows users to record short clips of themselves with frames and filters. Implementing video requires time and money for development. Even if a business has the funds to add videos, there's the concern of bad behavior.
by Megan Farokhmanesh
See full article at The Verge
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Q: What do you like most about mobile marketing?
A: It moves forward very quickly. It forces us to remain attentive and always find new ways to work.
Q: What does it take to succeed in mobile marketing?
A: To have a great app! You need to be able to track the performance of your app. You have to be very data-driven. Stay alert of trends and technologies and test a lot of new things.
Q: What does a quality mobile user look like to you?
A: The one who will use our product as often as possible; they'll use it like a natural reflex and if they pay, it's even better
Q: What strategies work best to convert installs into engaged users?
A: Again, try to have the best app as possible, make it intuitive, try to avoid bugs and crashes.
Q: What have you done in the past year to help better monetize your app?
A: We're spending a lot of time on optimization and we are tracking way more things than in the past.
Q: What is the biggest challenge in marketing your apps?
A: Finding the right balance between volume of downloads and ROI.
Q: How do you stay ahead of changes in technology?
A: I stay informed with newsletters, LinkedIn, my colleagues and network.
Q: What do you see is the next big thing in mobile marketing?
A: 5G and connected objects.
BBC – May 16 – Tinder has filed a legal objection to a dating platform created by a British man on which he is the only male date. Shed Simove called the app Shinder and said he built it to find himself a partner. However, when he tried to trademark it, a Notice of Threatened Opposition was filed to the Intellectual Property Office by Tinder. Mr Simove doesn't believe he is a threat to Tinder. "It's unlikely that the female population will stop using Tinder and start using Shinder." He heard from others who wanted to create a similar platform for themselves which was why he decided to trademark it.
by Zoe Kleinman
See full article at BBC
PRNEWSWIRE – May 16 – New dating app Luvr lets users view pre-recorded video profiles and pictures, send Snapchat-like videos, and video chat right from the app. Luvr incorporates an official timestamp feature that shows when the video or photo was taken.
WEBWIRE – May 16 – Julien Robert, CEO & Founder of Happy Couple, will discuss the mobile online dating couples market at the next iDate – Internet dating conference that is taking place at the Sportsmen's Lodge Events Center in Studio City, CA on June 1-2, 2017.
OPW – May 16 – Matchmakers who were working with Ona, the app that connects matchmakers and date coaching experts with users, received an email today notifying them that Ona is shutting down. "While there is truly a need for singles to work with experts and a market fit for such personalized services, we've discovered and concluded that Ona will not be the missing and massive piece of the puzzle we'd thought it'd be." It's shutting down in one week's time on May 22nd. I like the coach.me service for coaching. It works off a monthly subscription and focuses more on health and wellness, with a high end business coaching service as well.
Post by Mark Brooks @ Courtland Brooks