Month: December 2019

Dating App Ad Starring Ulrika Jonsson Banned for Objectifying Women

Posted on December 4, 2019

Lumen ulrika jonssonCITYAM – Dec 4 – Lumen Ad starring Swedish TV personality Ulrika Jonsson has been banned over concerns it was offensive and objectified women. The Christmas campaign showed 52-year-old Jonsson in a red nightie and stockings, and was accompanied by the tagline "Be my stocking filler". Lumen submitted the ad to Transport for London's (TfL) advertising agent Global, but it was rejected.

by James Warrington
See full article at CityAM

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More Millennials Prefer Offline Dating

Posted on December 4, 2019

Offline datingBBC – Dec 4 – While almost half of adults under 35 living in the US and the UK have tried online dating, and the industry increased by 11% in North America between 2014 and 2019, there are growing signs that many would rather not be using these methods. A BBC survey in 2018 found that dating apps are the least preferred way for 16- to 34-year-old Britons to meet someone new. For them, deleting the apps has been more about winning time back in their lives for other activities rather than a reaction to painful experiences. The rise of app-based dating coincided with a decline in social spaces in which people used to find potential sexual partners and dates. Gay bars are closing at a rapid rate in around the world. Half of the UK's nightclubs shut their doors between 2005 and 2015. What's next for dating? Scott Harvey, editor of Global Dating Insights, says that AI and video are the "two main talking points in the industry" right now.

by Maddy Savage
See full article at BBC

Hinge’s Founder Leans Into Data to Set the Dating App Apart From Other Apps

Posted on December 3, 2019

Hinge screenshot dec 2019MASHABLE – Dec 3 – Hinge, which at one point called itself "the relationship app," is one of the many apps now owned by the Match Group but still strives to set itself apart. Its founder, Justin McLeod, set out to make an app less shallow than Tinder – but with a younger demographic than eHarmony and Match. Hinge ditched swiping in 2016 and charged seven dollars for the app to weed out non-serious users. By 2017, the mandated membership fee was gone, but they did not go back to the swipe model. After being acquired by Match Group, Hinge went through another rebrand that included a design makeover and a new tag line, "Designed to be deleted." Hinge has been fine-tuning their algorithm and figuring out what leads to better matches. Using data to help users get into relationships is partially the inspiration behind Hinge Lab, the app's new data department. Hinge Lab is like personal trainers at the gym.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

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OPW Podcast – The Top Dating Industry News for Dec 3rd

Posted on December 3, 2019

Opw tmtOPW – Dec 3 – Momo up 22%, e-babies 40%, Happn gives 5% to AIDS, IDEA SUMMIT.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker Breaker, Google Podcasts Google Podcasts, Spotify Spotify, Anchor Anchor, Overcast Overcast, Radio Public Radio Public or Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts.

Tinder Lets Sex Offenders Use the App

Posted on December 3, 2019

Sex offenders on dating appsPROPUBLICA – Dec 2 – Match Group screens for sexual predators on Match, but not on Tinder, OkCupid or PlentyofFish. A spokesperson said: "There are definitely registered sex offenders on our free products." Match first agreed to screen for registered sex offenders in 2011 after a lawsuit. A Match Group spokesperson said the company cannot implement a uniform screening protocol because it doesn't collect enough information from its free users, and that background checks do little more than create "a false sense of security" among users. "Our checks of the sex offender registry can only be as good as the information we receive," she said, explaining that the government databases can lack data, have old pictures or include partial information. Herb Vest, founder of dating site True.com used to pay ~ $1M a year for third-party services like rapsheets.com and backgroundchecks.com. True.com even warned subscribers that the company would sue if they misrepresented their pasts. True ultimately folded in 2013 but Mr Vest insists the cost of doing background checks didn't play a role in his company's closing. "People can't rely 100% on the sites," Vest said. "But as an industry, we could have done much better."

by Hillary Flynn, Keith Cousins & Elizabeth Naismith Picciani
See full article at ProPublica

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Dating Apps Are Turning to Message-free Meetups

Posted on December 3, 2019

The League League LiveINSIDER – Dec 2 – Dating app creators are experimenting with old-school dating methods. Video "speed dating" features, text-only profiles, and apps that ban in-app messaging have emerged recently. The League, which launched in 2014, recently announced League Live, a feature where users can go on two-minute video "speed dates" with potential matches. People who use League Live are four times more likely to match with someone than people who use the non-"speed dating" version of The League, according to an emailed statement from the League. The new app Bounce also emphasizes face-to-face meetups. It allows users to "check-in" at specific locations as a way to say they're interested in going on a date around that geographic area. Lex, a new dating app for the queer community, takes another old-school approach by allowing people to scroll through a feed of personal ad-style call-outs. People who use Lex can't post photos, so the connections have to go beyond physical appearances.

by Julia Naftulin
See full article at Insider

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Chappy Breaks Into the World of Gay Male Dating

Posted on December 2, 2019

Chappy icon 2019AUSTIN MONTHLY – Dec 2 – Created in the same spirit as its sister company Bumble, Chappy is cultivating a welcoming atmosphere that challenges deeply entrenched negative norms between gay men. Similar to Bumble, the app's branding and marketing revolve around empowerment, accountability, acceptance, and kindness. Chappy limits matches to people who are mutually interested in one another, and users need to verify their identities.

by David Leffler
See full article at Austin Monthly

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