Category: Match.com

Dating App Ad Spending in 2024 Set to Surpass 2023, With Bumble Leading the Charge

Posted on October 23, 2024

Tinder advertisingMEDIA POST – Dating app ad spending in 2024 is set to surpass 2023's total, with the top six apps (Bumble, eHarmony, Grindr, Hinge, Match.com, and Tinder) spending $147M by July, compared to $220M for all of 2023. Bumble has overtaken Tinder as the top advertiser, spending $44M, driven by a major rebranding effort. Despite a rise in consumer burnout with dating apps, including 78% reporting occasional fatigue, platforms are increasing their marketing to regain interest. Match Group plans to boost marketing for Hinge and Tinder in Q3, while Bumble will also increase its Q4 spending to attract users.

by Danielle Oster
See full article at Media Post

Sad News for the Dating World: Pioneering Love Researcher Helen Fisher Passes Away at 79

Posted on August 24, 2024

Helen Fisher
NEW YORK TIMES – Helen Fisher, a renowned biological anthropologist, passed away at 79 due to endometrial cancer. She was known for her groundbreaking research into the brain's circuitry related to love, proving that romantic love is hard-wired in the brain. Fisher's studies, including MRI scans, identified brain regions activated during early-stage love and after romantic rejection. As the chief science adviser to Match.com, she developed tools like the Fisher Temperament Inventory to explore romantic compatibility. Fisher's influential research and TED Talks reached millions. She completed her final book, tentatively titled "Thinking Four Ways: How to Reach Anyone With Neuroscience," just days before her death.

By Richard Sandomir
See full article at The New York Times

Mark Brooks: The dating industry has lost one of its best. Dr Helen Fisher was a gracious leading contributor to the science of biological anthropology, and love. I first met her when she presented at the iDate conference many years ago, and more recently when Dr Fisher presented at LTR in 2021. A sad day! Rest in peace Dr Fisher. You are greatly missed.

Jay Shetty Is Now Match’s Relationship Advisor

Posted on June 5, 2024

Matchcom logo 2021PR NEWSWIRE – Jay Shetty, a global bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of On Purpose, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, has joined as Match's Relationship Advisor. Match has integrated Jay's expertise across various product touchpoints, where he will offer guidance on first dates, love, and relationships.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Match.com

Interview With Jim Safka

Posted on April 19, 2024

LTR – Jim Safka, former CEO of Match.com, shares his journey from marketing leadership at E*Trade and AT&T Wireless to leading Match through a challenging period. He credits much of his success to understanding cultural differences in dating, exemplified by strategic recruiting and adapting to international markets. Safka highlighted important collaborations, such as bringing in cultural anthropologist Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, who helped adapt Match’s strategy to various global markets effectively. He also discusses innovative marketing strategies, including partnering with Dr. Phil on mainstreaming online dating and how a personal touch in the user experience can impact business growth. Safka reflected on past strategies, emphasizing a balance between user experience and monetization, and suggested that the industry needs innovative and enjoyable user experiences rather than simply focusing on profits.

The March LTR was kindly sponsored by ParshipMeet Group, RealMe, along with Courtland Brooks and Matchmaker.com

How 15 Years of Grindr Has Affected Gay Communities and Dating Culture

Posted on March 25, 2024

GrindrTHE GUARDIAN – "We [gay men] kind of created the concept of online dating," claims Grindr's CEO, George Arison. Prior to Grindr, gay men had found connection through a variety of means, including classified ads, phone chat lines and, during the late 1990s and 2000s, dating sites such as Gaydar and Manhunt, with the former having 5M subscribers in 2009. While Match.com was launched in 1995, before Gaydar and Manhunt, Arison claims many straight people were still "weirded out" by the concept of online dating at that time. Then, in 2009, along came Grindr. Founded and launched by Joel Simkhai just nine months after Apple added GPS functionality to the iPhone, it was one of, if not the first popular location-based dating apps in the world, a full three years before Tinder was launched. Fifteen years on, its core functionality remains largely unchanged. It allows users to chat with other gay and bisexual men in their immediate area (with location details down to the number of feet away another user is) and arrange to meet up – often for sex.

by Tom Gill
See full article at The Guardian

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The Growing Acceptance of Polyamory

Posted on February 7, 2024

PolyamoryWIRED – Mainstream awareness of polyamorous relationships is becoming more widespread. "Today, polyamory is just another form of self-expression," says Noa Elan, CEO of Bloom Community, a queer-friendly app that caters to poly-identifying individuals. A 2024 Match survey found that 31% of singles have had a non monogamous relationship in their lifetime, and 39% of online daters are open to dating a non monogamous person they meet on a dating app. 50% of men are open to trying polyamorous dating, according to a recent trends report conducted by Flirtini.

by Jason Parham
See full article at Wired

See the top news on Bloom
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Singles in America: Match Releases Largest Study on US Single Population

Posted on January 25, 2024

Match.com's Singles in America 2024PR NEWSWIRE – Match's 13th annual Singles in America study reveals new trends in dating among U.S. singles. Key findings include the need for better sex education, with nearly half of singles believing it leads to healthier relationships. Finances are the top stressor for the second year. Over 40% of young singles see AI as beneficial for partner selection. The study also highlights the popularity of traditional monogamy, with half of the singles preferring it, although one-third have experienced non-monogamous relationships. Additionally, the study touches on political topics like the impact of Roe v. Wade's overturning on singles' dating and sex lives.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Match.com

The Era of Free Dating Apps May Be Over

Posted on December 11, 2023

Hinge StandoutsCNBC – The trend of free dating apps is declining as companies like Bumble, The League, Hinge, Match, and Tinder aim to increase revenue, prompting users to opt for paid versions. A Pew Research Center report reveals 35% of American dating app users have paid for these services. The League's VIP membership costs $999 a week or $2,499 a month. In Sep, Tinder rolled out a $499 monthly subscription to some of its most active users, and Hinge recently introduced a $600-a-month membership. Coffee Meets Bagel says its paid users get 60% more dates than its nonsubscribers. Pew Research has found that people who met their partner on an app are more likely to have paid for the service.

by Annie Nova & Ana Teresa Solá
See full article at CNBC

Podcast – the Dating Brain in the Digital Age

Posted on November 23, 2023

The Dating Brain in the Digital AgeCNN – In this episode of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast "Chasing Life," the focus is on love and relationships in the digital age. Skyler Wang, a visiting sociologist at Meta AI, talks about the overwhelming abundance of choices in modern life, particularly in online dating, and how some apps limit options to manage this. He notes that online dating has been transformative for groups like queer individuals, older people, and divorcees. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and chief science advisor to Match.com, shares insights on the constancy of human brain patterns in love and attraction, regardless of technology's evolution. She discusses her development of the Fisher Temperament Inventory, a personality test linked to brain chemistry, which categorizes people into four types: explorers, builders, directors, and negotiators. This categorization aims to help understand compatibility in relationships. She also delves into the concept of "slow love," where people, especially younger generations, are taking longer to find a partner, driven by a desire for deep connection and companionship rather than traditional relationship milestones.

See full article at CNN

Match Group’s “Are You Sure?” Feature to Expand to Millions of Users Across Match, Stir, OurTime & More

Posted on November 14, 2023

Match Group Are You Sure featurePR NEWSWIRE – Match Group is introducing its anti-harassment feature "Are You Sure?" (AYS?) to users across several platforms, including Match, Stir, OurTime, BLK, Chispa, and Upward, with Hinge planning to adopt it next year. Initially launched on Tinder in 2021 and later on Plenty of Fish and Meetic, AYS? has prevented ~500M potentially problematic or harassing messages by prompting users to reconsider their words before sending. The feature, which uses automated tools to flag potentially harmful language, has led to an 84% decrease in triggering on Plenty of Fish, showing its effectiveness in changing user behavior. The feature is available in 18 languages and is part of Match Group's efforts, including an upcoming "Respect Before Swiping" campaign, to promote respectful interactions and boundaries on its platforms.

See full article at PR Newswire

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