OPW - Oct 23 - DownToEarth, a free dating site run by Match.com's parent company IAC Interactive, announced exclusively to Online Personals Watch today that the site has relaunched as Stir.com. The new brand will focus on offering young adults ideas for where to go on dates.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Stir.com is going live today to give 18 to 25 year olds suggestions about the best places to go, and people to go with, based on their interests,” said Jacob Solotaroff, General Manager of Stir. “We learned a lot from our trial with DownToEarth.com and know that we have a unique way to help college-aged people interact with one another. Stir.com will help them mix up their nights.”
All of DowntoEarth.com's members have been rolled over to Stir.com. Older members will be incentivised to try Match.com. The site was always meant to be an experiment. They learned that younger generation members weren't over the bar scene, and wanted a more casual environment to 'hang out' in.
Stir has teamed up with fellow IAC directory site Citysearch.com to provide daters with personalized restaurant, bar and activity recommendations. Members will also eventually be able to post their own event suggestions. Social networking features include photo sharing, as Stir members will be able to upload pictures from their excursions. Stir will eventually allow users to buy tickets directly on the site. Tickets to some New York City Halloween parties are already available for users.
The monetization plan for Stir is still in the development stages, according to Solotaroff.
Stir is part of Match’s new plan to target specific dating verticals. In July, Match acquired People Media and its 27 niche dating sites that cater to specifics communities, from singles parents to various religious affiliations.
"Match.com has been increasing its portfolio of vertical dating sites like BlackSinglesMeet and JPeopleMeet,” said Tom Smithyman, Senior Director of Success Marketing at Match.com. “These sites cater to people of certain demographics or with certain interests. Stir.com is adding people 18-25 to that mix, and we're confident it will have a big impact on Match.com's overall business."
Solotaroff says the name Stir was chosen, because the title encourages users to be social and try new activities.
Your DowntoEarth.com is still Live...Is stir.com and Downtoearth one and the same. As the design is different I was just wondering if registering on one site will have info on both or just one.
Dating Interest
Posted by: Dating Down Under | Oct 24, 2009 at 08:06 AM
They should be forwarding it to Stir.com shortly. I was told by the GM of Stir.com that the DTE members would all be rolled over to Stir.com.
Posted by: Mark Brooks | Oct 24, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Mark I think you may have been spun a line here - the real story is surely not some "rebrand" but actually Match closing down DownToEarth.com - admitting defeat perhaps?
If a site is successful, you don't change the name or features - I think you need to dig a bit deeper here, you're being spun ;)
Posted by: twitter.com/rosswilliams | Oct 25, 2009 at 06:07 AM
Basically, from where I'm sitting, it looks like Match decided not to run a free dating site. But I'm sure they always have designs on attracting a younger crowd into their marketing funnel. I always thought it was a bit strange that Match would run a generic free dating site? I think it admirable they gave it a try as an experiment, and they came to the right conclusion in scuppering the product.
Youngsters age 18-25 are less inclined to pay for dating sites. They'll use a site like Hotornot, or a social network, or even Online Booty Call. Match needed to create a product to draw in and warm up a new generation of Match.com users. Stir.com makes sense, but faces stiff competition with the likes of Facebook and evite.
(Full Disclosure: Hotornot is a client of Courtland Brooks)
Posted by: Mark Brooks | Oct 25, 2009 at 11:09 AM
It seems that STir will compete with the new AOL site Going. But I agree that the under 25 crowd is hesitant and unable to pay for a dating site. Match should probably move up-market to the Matrimonial and Sugar Daddy sites. It would make for higher earning customers and willing payers. I'm working on a college party network called TheCollegeHookup.com - I think its a more marketable name than Stir, I'll let you know how it goes.
Posted by: Joe | Oct 25, 2009 at 01:35 PM
Mark, I wanted to weigh into your commentary. As of now, Match Inc is operating 30 sites across North America including 27 People Media vertical-focused sites, Chemistry.com, Stir and, of course, Match.com. We are offering various services and features across the country. We are constantly exploring opportunities for people to connect across all demos, interests, passions, etc. We launched downtoearth.com in January and it became obvious that this site resonated with an 18-25 year old audience. Based on feedback over the last year, we are evolving the site experience to be more relevant for that audience which includes suggestions for places to hang out as well as people to go there with.
We will continue to listen to customer feedback and explore opportunities to monetize that site. The reality is that online dating companies large or small monetize their site experience. Even companies that market the fact that they are FREE sites, all charges for features. We will keep you posted on our progress, but in the meantime, we encourage your readers to go to Stir.com and let us know what you think.
Posted by: Mandy Ginsberg, GM Match.com | Oct 26, 2009 at 10:56 AM
STiR was definitely inspired by Going.com. It's too bad the Down To Earth failed to gain much traction but that was pretty much expected from the beginning unless Match threw serious marketing dollars at the site, which they never did. I like the concept of StiR but the CitySearch deal doesn't make sense. More at http://bit.ly/1j9kgk
Posted by: David Evans | Oct 28, 2009 at 11:18 AM