THE DRUM – Founded in 2004 by Chris Coyne, Christian Rudder, Sam Yagan and Max Krohn – the Harvard students who also created SparkNotes – OkCupid has its roots in what was once called SparkMatch. The platform allowed users to connect based on the results of a personality assessment. After selling SparkMatch to Barnes & Noble, the team built what is now OkCupid. In 2011, they sold the business to Match Group. Despite the platform's advances, the brand was tired and lacked freshness. So OkCupid appointed its first global CMO in 2017. Melissa Hobley, a former Walgreens executive, went to work on reinventing the brand's image. The app introduced new ways for daters to set their preferences and to signal to potential matches what their values and politics entail. The platform has also rolled out 'badges' – icons that users can choose to display on their profiles that indicate, for example, that they're pro-choice or that they believe in combating climate change. In August 2021, the brand rolled out its newest effort – its irreverent and wildly inclusive 'Every Single Person' campaign featuring creatives developed by sculptor Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. Made in partnership with Mekanism, the campaign is a natural expression of the brand's mission to be a platform where everyone is invited to be exactly who they are and vocalize what they believe in.
by Kendra Clark
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