11% of those polled admitted that the pictures used for their online profiles were taken more than 10 years ago.
NY POST – Dec 11 – EliteSingles is currently the third-largest US TV dating advertiser behind Match and eHarmony, but plans to turn up the volume to ensure it nabs between 5k – 6k new customers a day. The company is currently signing 3k – 4k, it says. The company is backed by Rocket Internet and Holtzbrinck Ventures, and the US is its fastest-growing market.
THE GUARDIAN – Oct 29 - Match.com operating profits plunged by 80% to £1.6M in the year to 31 December. Turnover was also down more than 10% at £38.2M as apps such as Tinder changed the nature of online dating. "The industry is in a bit of a crusher," said Mark Brooks, analyst at consultancy Courtland Brooks. "The mobile medium has come of age and over 70% of Internet daters in the UK are just using their smartphones. It's an amazing transition that has truly roiled the dating industry. If Match is suffering, their competitors are suffering more."
"Smartphone growth is an opportunity more than a challenge," continues Brooks. "Laggard dating companies that have not created compelling mobile experiences are dying. Most old school incumbents have stumbled in this respect." Research firm Mintel predicts that despite the current upheaval the UK online dating industry will grow from £165M to £225M by 2019.
by Zoe Wood & Sarah Butler
See full article at The Guardian
OPW INTERVIEW – Oct 12 – It has been nearly four years since Match acquired Twoo, and a little over four months since Joost Roelandts took the reigns as CEO. According to Roelandts, the relationship with Match has proven most beneficial and has provided a wealth of resources. Twoo is also building video into its feature set. The full interview is below, as well as clips of individual questions and answers.
Key information in the interview:
Watch the entire 15 minute video interview above, or, we’ve split it up so you can just watch segments of it below.
EXPANSIÓN – Sep 7 - Match.com app will be available in Mexico and 5 other countries in Latin America this September to attract users 30+. "The age range of Match.com active users is 30-50 years," estimated Gael Deheneffe, director of Match.com for Latin America. He is projecting 30% increase of active users in Mexico after the apps' launch.
by Gabriela Chávez
See full article at Expansión
LAW.COM – Sep 2 – A woman who was brutally attacked by a man she met on Match.com can sue the dating site for failure to warn under a Nevada state law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday. The decision raised concerns for dating sites about what they should be doing to warn its customers. Mary Beckman met Wade Ridley on Match.com in 2010. In Jan 2011, Ridley repeatedly stabbed Beckman, causing injuries that resulted in multiple surgeries. Beckman, whose suit seeks $10M, alleged that Ridley had met and attacked other women using Match.com prior to her attack and that Match.com knew that Ridley was a threat to site users.
by Ross Todd
See full article at Corporate Counsel
SF CBS – July 20 – Complaints to the the Better Business Bureau range from Match.com refusing refunds to people who are unknowingly auto-renewed, to accounts being auto-renewed even after users cancel. Match has an "F" rating, but Match says it's not a member of the bureau, "so therefore we cannot respond to inquiries submitted through them." The Better Business Bureau says the company lost it's accreditation because it stopped responding to complaints.
by Patricio Robles
See full article at eConsultancy
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BUSINESS INSIDER – June 30 – In a recent interview on the Girlboss Radio podcast, Whitney Wolfe discussed what motivated her to found Bumble, a dating app where only women can initiate the first move. On Match.com only ~18% of emails between straight women and straight men are initiated by women. In the most recent "Singles in America" survey, ~90% of men said they're comfortable with a woman asking them out. According to a recent OkCupid study, women who make the first move can wind up with more attractive partners than women who wait for men to ask them out. That's because women generally message men who are five points more attractive than they are, while they typically receive messages from men who are seven points less attractive.
by Shana Lebowitz
See full article at Business Insider
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MARKETING NEWS – June 2 – No dating site has found the magic method of creating a love connection. "This is a total virgin science," said Mark Brooks who runs Courtland Brooks, an agency that works with online dating companies. There are 2,5K – 8K online dating platforms worldwide. While it's growing, the industry is "sort of being squished," with the majority of growth seen at large businesses and smaller apps, leaving a large middle section open, Brooks says. According to Brooks, Tinder's explosive popularity changed the face of internet dating. The app grew from college campuses, Brooks says, as the company used a marketing program to entice "campus connectors" to spread the word. "It doesn't take much," he said. "It's such a hotbed on campuses that you can get these things to take off on campus with the right story and the right product. Tinder is a very, very compelling product. It's one of the few dating apps that's truly sharable. For some reason, apps are more sharable in online dating. You wouldn't generally talk about Match, but on Tinder, you'd just show it around and talk about the experience." How do these dating platforms grow? Brooks says the traditional way is via pay-per-click ads and paid acquisition. Companies with more money are able to advertise on TV. Grant Langston, eHarmony's VP of brand marketing refers to TV as eHarmony's "magic formula". Now, TV accounts for ~70% of eHarmony's lead generation. For Zoosk, Facebook mobile app is one of the most successful distribution outlets. The conversion rate for Facebook mobile, from click to install, is ~5% and 10%. Years ago, Brooks says he predicted that "we'd go Star Trek" in online dating, meaning he foresaw the impending mobile boom. In his recent research, he found that 73% of all visitors to dating services are on mobile devices. Brooks believes larger screens, five-to-six inches, will come into prominence in the near future. Users want larger pictures for their online dating needs and Brooks says larger phones and small tablets will serve that need. After that, he believes wearable technology will play a larger role in the industry. People often tell white lies on their dating profiles, but Brooks says sites may be able to take advantage of a customer's FitBit data by matching people who run seven miles per day. Online dating is here to stay with little chance of evanesce. Brooks notes that the availability of people, within the click of a button, has created an addictive element.
by Hal Conick
See full article at Marketing News
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