AXIOS – Tinder partnered with TikTok influencers to attract Gen Z users, addressing declining interest in dating apps and a preference for in-person connections. A TikTok campaign featuring influencers sharing their dating experiences (#theconnectionexperience) increased Gen Z’s positive perception of dating apps from 50% to 53%, with 58% of respondents saying they were likely to use Tinder.
AXIOS – The dating app First Round's On Me (FROME) has raised $3M in seed funding to expand its focus on in-person dating. Unlike traditional swipe-based apps, FROME requires users to suggest or plan a date when they match. Since its launch in 2020, the app has facilitated ~8K dates and 50 in-person events. Now preparing for a nationwide rollout, FROME aims to grow its user base through subscriptions, events, and a media network. The funding will be used for hiring, marketing, and expanding the app's functionality to include planning social events.
by Kerry Flynn
See full article at Axios
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AXIOS – Faye Iosotaluno, the new CEO of Tinder, aims to make the app welcoming for all, including future generations like Gen Alpha. Appointed last month after joining Match Group in 2017 and serving as COO of Tinder in 2022, Iosotaluno has a background in major companies like SoundCloud and Viacom. She emphasizes Tinder’s inclusive vision for all sexual orientations and the use of AI for safety and user experience enhancements, such as photo selection assistance. She believes in Tinder’s positive impact on society, aiming for an app experience her children would be proud to use.
CNN BUSINESS – Oct 23 – "Swipe Night" is Tinder's first foray in original content. This month, Tinder released a four-part, short-form video series with a few twists. New episodes were released every Sunday in October, but were available only for six hours, from 6 p.m. to midnight local time, exclusively on the Tinder app in the US. The episodes were interactive. Users were asked to swipe left or swipe right to make a choice, which then affects the rest of the story. Third, those decisions then determined who they matched with on Tinder in the future. The purpose of "Swipe Night" was to create a discussion among Tinder users. And it worked. Total matches on Tinder jumped 26% compared to a typical Sunday night, and messages increased 12%. Given the engagement it received in the US release, Tinder is planning an international rollout of the series in February 2020.
MASHABLE – Apr 3 – Ashley Madison now claims 191k daily active users. The company is also armed with an audit from accounting firm Ernst & Young, which verified 5,673,024 real accounts were registered in 2017 and that the ratio of active paid users male to female was 1 to 1.13. "~60% of our traffic is organic," said Ruben Buell, president and CTO of Ashley Madison's parent company Ruby Life. The company hired a new chief privacy officer and chief security officer who have been in charge of building a new cybersecurity framework. The site is introducing two-factor authentication in the coming months. The company has made more of an effort to cater to women, such as through marketing campaigns glorifying female users rather than male. The company currently has 153 employees in their offices in Toronto and Cyprus and plans to reach 173 by the end of the year.
by Kerry Flynn
See full article at Mashable
MASHABLE – Mar 7 – Nothing has changed at Tinder after its chief competitor Bumble made a declaration to ban guns from user profile photos. Rosette Pambakian, Tinder's head of brand, said: "We are not banning guns. Our terms of service has clearly said we have a zero tolerance with anything offensive. We don't have a blanket ban of guns. If there's a weapon or firearm used in a threatening or offending way, then yes, we will remove it."
MASHABLE – Aug 25 – Bumble has recently turned down a $450M acquisition offer from Match Group. For Bumble, there's no need to settle at this stage. The app is profitable and growing, adding 50K users a day. Last week, the team moved to a new office in Austin. Bumble has 70 employees worldwide with offices in London, Australia, and Germany and plans to open one in New York City next year. The company will release an app redesign in the fall, where users can swap between Bumble for dating, Bumble BFF for friendship, and Bumble Bizz for networking. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe has an intriguing founder story and unique product that lands her and her company stories in major media outlets.
MASHABLE – Oct 11 – On Tuesday, Hinge relaunched from a free swiping app into a members-only app for $7/month. In addition to charging a fee — which CEO McLeod said helps users consider the app to be more of a commitment — Hinge has been completely redesigned. Mark Brooks, an online dating app consultant, said that Hinge’s team was smart to no longer compete with Tinder and other free apps. “There’s not much point in being a copycat. They need to be known for something, or they will end up not being known for anything,” Brooks said. “Going serious and paid is a bold move, and a good move. They won’t see as high traffic as Tinder, but I think they will see revenues, and users interested in meaningful relationships.”
IBTIMES – Feb 14 – "We know how to do this one thing. If the world is not interested in this one thing. We will go out of business," Grant Langston, eHarmony's VP of brand marketing, said. That "one thing" was match people for serious relationships. When the founders pitched the idea back in 2000s, people would laugh. At that time, online dating was primarily for sex. But 16 years later, eHarmony is one of the leaders with ~11.9% of the $2.4B online dating industry (IBISWorld). "eHarmony is a relationships company. Match is a relationship company, but I think eHarmony picks up where Match leaves off,” said Mark Brooks, an online dating app consultant. With its over decade of experience, eHarmony is not a young player. And at 80 years old, its CEO Neil Clark Warren is far much older than other leaders in the field like Tinder's 29-year-old CEO, Sean Rad. But eHarmony is seen as still able to innovate. At this year's iDate, eHarmony was awarded the title of most innovative company. Next month, eHarmony launches Elevated Careers, a shot at matchmaking for the job market.
IBTIMES – Jan 22 – Tinder has added a health safety section with a link to health startup Healthvana, making it easier for people to find STD testing locations. The section provides guidance on proper protection. Back in Sep, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) posted billboards in LA that had silhouettes of people's heads with the words "Tinder, Chlamydia, Grindr and Gonorrhea." Tinder issued a cease and desist letter to the AHF. AHF will take down all the ads mentioning Tinder as part of a settlement.