BUSINESS WEEK - May 23 - Billionaire Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, the owner of Match.com and other 50 businesses, delivered the best returns of any Internet media company worldwide, trumping Google and Baidu. One of IAC’s steadily expanding businesses is online dating. CEO Greg Blatt sees the U.S. as the biggest growth opportunity, while building abroad for longer-term returns as more consumers get online and have the means to make Internet payments. Match.com Q1 revenue rose by 56% and subscribers by 47%.
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626 posts categorized "Match.com"
Match.com Gets Inventive With Games And Events
REUTERS - May 22 - Match.com has created short dual-player games to help people express themselves better online. A game called Food Critic prompts members to answer food-related questions, while Romance Rip-Off is designed for two players to create a love story together. Match.com is also planning to launch local events. It plans to host 200 events per month in US. Brian Schechter, co-founder and co-CEO of HowABoutWe, said his company has been going offline since it started in 2010. Members post the type of dates they would like.
Localised And Tailored Marketing Techniques
THE MARKETER - May 20 - Match.com managing director Karl Gregory believes that it is vital to take into account cultural characteristics when expanding internationally. In the UK, humour is a major part of everyday interaction, the Japanese are interested in blood types, In Germany, the education is flagged up on dating sites, while Australians are attracted to fun up-beat images of dating rather than ones of settled happy couples. eHarmony recent £1m advertising campaign focused on the journey of an attractive single woman to find a partner.The UK advert looks at the journey, while American adverts look at the happiness of the success couple, and focuses on the end result.
Match.com Takes Dating Offline
DAILY MAIL - May 14 - Match.com is to run a series of 3K real-life events across 40 countries. Match.com will use its computer algorithms to select 'matching' couples - so invitees will match by age and interests. Among the other events which are part of the new offline meetings called The Stir - are tequila tastings, dance lessons and rock climbing.
Games On Match.com
UP TO DATE - May 14 - Match.com is launching seven games lasting one to five minutes that will allow members to figure out whether they have chemistry with each other before going out on a date.
36% Canadians Have Tried Online Dating
VANCOUVER OBSERVER - May 4 - Canadians have experienced a major increase in online dating popularity over the past few years. With Canadians spending 74 minutes online per day, and 81 minutes a day on mobile aps, it's no surprise that people would turn to the Internet as a dating tool. POF claims a 40%t increase in membership holders over the past two year and 33M registered users. "The fear of initial rejection isn't as great when you don't have to see someone face to face," Rebecca Liu said about her experience with Match.com. Liu explained that she gave online dating a try because of a lack of dating resources in the analog world. Many find workplace romances taboo. Approaching a cute guy or girl at the library is almost more likely to creep people out than get them interested. Dating online is refreshing because it gives you an avenue to meet people outside your daily routines.
by Jessica Kalbfleisch
See full article at Vancouver Observer
IAC's Online Dating Q1 Profit Jumps 56%
WSJ - May 2 - IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s Q1 profit soared 91% from a year earlier as the Internet conglomerate ramped up revenue from its online dating and search engine businesses. Revenue from Match.com, OK Cupid and Meetic increased 56% to $174.3M. Meetic saw particular gains under IAC's control, boosting revenue 44% to ~$36M.
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Match.com Campaign To Feature Real Customers
THEDRUM.CO.UK - Apr 13 - Match.com’s latest advertising campaign will feature unscripted filmed stories of real members on a first date. The ‘Real Stories’ campaign, by Mother, will begin to air across UK terrestrial, digital and satellite TV from April 14th.
Match.com Sues ‘Adult Dating’ Site XXXmatch
PAID CONTENT - Apr 5 - Match.com that promises “Love is complicated, Match.com is simple” is taking issue with a website that claims “Love is complicated, sex is simple.” In a trademark suit filed in Virginia federal court, Match claims the adult matchmaker has no right to use the names “xxxmatch.com” or “eroticmatch.com.” Match is asking for a court order forbidding the use of “xxxmatch” or the slogan “Love is complicated, sex is simple.” Match also wants the defendants, who are based in California and the Caribbean, to turn over their profits.
Three Major Online Dating Sites Agree To Screen For Predators
MASHABLE - Mar 21 - The state attorney general’s office will work with Match.com, eHarmony.com and Spark Networks to screen for sexual predators, identity thieves and scammers. A joint statement issued Monday notes the prevalence of online dating and says the companies’ main objective is to keep users safe. A Match.com spokesperson told Mashable the site is already taking the precautions outlined in the agreement, and an eHarmony spokesperson said existing screening mechanisms have helped keep sex offenders off the service in the past.
by Kate Freeman
See full article at Mashable
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Online Dating Algorithm Adding Up To Love
CBS - Mar 15 - “Our algorithm is not based psychological theory,” said Amarnath Thombre who helped design Match.com’s algorithm. “It’s based on rigorous analysis of data of what people actually do on the site.” The Match.com algorithm is behind every single match made on the site. It takes into account the user’s personality, preferences, and their behavior on the site. “The algorithm is constantly following you on the site and getting more and more accurate as you spend more time on the site,” Thombre said. Dr. Eli Finkel, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, has been studying the science behind sites like Match.com. He says the sites are generally good at connecting two people who might otherwise never meet, but he says there’s a certain magic to finding true love that’s not part of a math equation. He says that spark we all seek can only happen with face-to-face interaction.
Match Is Australia’s Top Online Advertiser
MUMBRELLA - Mar 14 - Several of the biggest online advertisers in Australia are dating sites, data released by ComScore suggests. The biggest online display advertiser in Australia is Match, with be2. Facebook is by far the biggest publisher of online ads. IAC accumulated ~276M ad impressions, according to the data. be2 delivered 190M ads in Australia.
It's Still A Man-ask-woman-out World
CONTRA COSTA TIMES - Mar 9 - In dating, women and men have equal rights -- but when it comes to popping that first question, it is still a man's world. In a recent Match.com survey of 5K single adults, only 10.8% of women admitted to asking a man out. Men have 20 times more aggression hormones than women do. And men want women who are hard to get because it makes them feel valuable. Some think a woman who asks out a guy comes off as desperate: "Shouldn't she play hard to get?" Certainly, women who prefer the pursuit may face less judgment online, says Whitney Casey, Match.com's Austin, Texas-based relationship expert and author of "The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild -- Not Away" (Perigee, 2009).
Operation Match Version 2012
UNLIMITED MAGAZINE - Mar 6 - In 1965 a group of Harvard students started Operation Match that used questionnaires to identify compatible matches. When the students sold it three years later they had received ~1M responses which resulted in a few marriages. Today North America’s dating sites attracts 22M users a month, says online dating industry analyst Mark Brooks. Online daters have upwards of 1,000 dating sites to choose from, aside from industry giants Match, eHarmony, OKCupid and PlentyofFish. "Starting a dating site is like starting a restaurant," Brooks says. "It’s very attractive but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye."
Brian Schechter and Aaron Schildkrout created HowAboutWe.com in 2009. The site is built around going on "awesome dates," with users able to see a list of date proposals in their immediate area. The company has raised ~$19M. Another site Sparkology is invite-only dating site. Other startups include Soul2Match, which links potential dates based on their photos and facial features, and Luv@FirstTweet, which uses Twitter to match singles. At TheJMom.com, matchmaking is left up to parents.
In a report in the Journal of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a team looked closely and critically at the online dating industry. The researchers found that while online dating has great potential to improve meeting potential romantic partners, the exclusive matching formulas many online dating sites claim to have are unsubstantiated and likely little more effective than randomly approaching strangers at a bar. Sites and apps can facilitate face-to-face interactions quickly. Mark Brooks agrees. "I don’t think people want to come home and spend hours and hours tappity-tapping on the keyboard. They want to be in front of people," he says. "Computer-mediated communication is not gratifying enough for the human soul." Brooks thinks three trends will define the future of the industry: location-based services, mobile services and behavioral matchmaking. "Dating sites that do well will be serving their users’ interests, which means a little more immediacy, a little more help and going mobile," he says.
That instant face-to-face interaction is what MeetMoi, a location-based mobile dating company led by CEO Alex Harrington, has been facilitating since 2007. Users are matched with one another based on preferences and proximity, through application-based and mobile web-based dating.
by Cailynn Klingbeil
See full article at Unlimited Magazine
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Match.com, A Good Cause
OPW - Feb 14 - One of our Power User Panel members noticed some ASPCA ads on the logout/exit page from Match.com. "Hey Mark, how would you like to see these faces everyday when you log in and out of Match? Now don't get me wrong, I love animals and I donate to several "no kill" shelters here in Chicago but these ads for the ASPCA have been going on for almost 2 weeks. I think it's in bad taste not to mention depressing. But hey, to Match advertising revenue is advertising revenue right? I'm sure they could care less what the customer thinks...lol."
I suggested to the Power User panel member...
"I'm sure Match had good intentions. Perhaps these ads are following you because you've donated in the past and clicked on another ad. There's a thought. Match could be retargeting."
Response...
"I did think about that, but I donate to "Pets In Need", PAWS, and "Save A Pet" by check only. None of them even have my email address nor have I ever been to any of thier websites. So that's not it."
What do you think? Your comments please.
Money Can't Buy Me Love - Or Can It?
IRISH TIMES - Feb 14 - A European Singles survey found that Irish men are likely to spend €106 on a date, compared to British men, who were likely to spend €60. According to a study conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute last year, one in 16 Irish people surveyed started their relationship online. Services range from the free, such as PlentyofFish.com to subscription-based sites like Match.com. While there are never any guarantees, does a greater financial investment result in a higher success rate? “They know that a paying member is serious about dating,” says Grainne Barry of Another Friend, Ireland’s largest dating site with ~60% of the Irish market share.
by Claire O'Mahony
See full article at Irish Times
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Million Pound Cupid: We Meet Match.com's Karl Gregory
LONDON LOVE BUSINESS - Feb 14 - According to Match.com, ~37M dates take place each year, adding a whopping £3.4bn to the economy. “January and the start of February is incredibly busy,” says Karl Gregory, MD of Match.com UK. Last February, coming up to the 14th, an impressive 6M people visited Match.com - and the team expect no fewer this time around. So what does the MD of the country’s most powerful dating site think of the niche sites that seem to multiply like rabbits? “Niche dating sites are a quite romantic notion but the number and the logic doesn’t add up,” he says. “Daters want to access a pool of individuals that are looking for the same thing, but as soon as you start narrowing it down the pool gets smaller. We find most people don’t want to travel further than 23 miles, narrowing your choice makes it harder to find someone. The area of mobile dating is one area Gregory believes will grow as Match.com develops its apps. Match.com has also upped the ante when it comes to intelligent matching. The site now offers users “the daily six”, this being “six people we think might appeal to you that you might not have necessarily searched for.”
by Gabriella Griffith
See full article at London Loves Business
Online Dating’s Promise And Pitfalls
LA TIMES - Feb 14 - Many dating sites, like Match.com or eHarmony, purport to have an advantage over random real-life encounters in that they employ special “algorithms” that can help people find their “match” — weeding through all the people who wouldn’t be compatible in the first place. But this practice might be grossly misleading and even counterproductive — especially since none of these formulas has undergone rigorous scientific review, according to a study led by Eli Finkel of Northwestern University. But the fact that these sites provide singles with unprecedented access to others who also want to date means that singles have far more opportunities to meet and form a lasting bond than they would otherwise, the authors point out.
by Amina Khan
See full article at Miami Herald
Read also: The Dubious Science of Online Dating
Valentine’s Boost For Online Dating Sites
FT - Feb 13 - Internet dating companies are expecting a boost in business in the run-up to Valentine’s day as increasing numbers of people log online for love. "We start to see an increase in activity from the end of Dec and that builds up to Valentine’s day,” said Karl Gregory, managing director of Match.com in the UK and Ireland. The UK market, with an estimated £120M a year in revenue, has more than 800 dating websites. Edinburgh-based Cupid, which trades under names including benaughty.com and girlsdateforfree.com, is the sector’s only London-quoted company. The company projects achieving £100M in revenue by 2014, a fourfold increase on 2010. It has spent more than £10M on acquisitions to raise client volumes, expanding operations to 16 countries using 10 different websites. Unlike Match.com, which builds up strong single brands, Cupid focuses on a lot of niche markets such as expat Indian dating and single parents.
by Christopher Thompson and Jennifer Thompson
See full article at FT
As 20-somethings Take To Online Dating
OREGON LIVE - Feb 12 - More 20-somethings are on online dating sites than ever, and their numbers are growing. Only 8% of users on Match.com are under 30. Free sites like OkCupid and PlentyofFish report much stronger numbers among 20-somethings. In fact, the majority of OkCupid's 8M members are under 30, with the most common age being 24. In the past year, countless more sites have sprung up promising to be the next big thing in online dating for the young adult. They tend to be more tech-savvy, carefree and interactive. There's MeetMoi, a mobile-based site that tracks your location through your phone, allowing you to invite nearby users on a spontaneous date. There's Clique, a site that lets New York City singles meet friends of friends by linking their profile to social networks like Facebook. There's Assisted Serendipity, which uses Foursquare check-in data to monitor a user's favorite hangout spots and notify them when the male-to-female ratio tips in their favor. There's even Spoondate, which lets users plan dates based on a mutual craving for, say, udon noodles.
by Kelly House
See full article at The Oregonian
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Mark Brooks
- Contact Mark
usa: 212-444-1636
uk: 020-8133-1835
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Events
- TechCrunch Disrupt
May 19-23, 2012 in New York - Internet Dating Conference
June 21-22, 2012 in Beverly Hills
Sep 10-11, 2012 in Köln
Oct 25-26, 2012 in Moscow
Nov 8-9, 2012 in Sydney - Conversion Conference
June 25-26, 2012 in Chicago
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