BLOGTO - Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman, who gained attention for her twerking celebration at the Paris Olympics, is now featured in an ad for the high-end dating app The League. In the ad, she playfully says, "You don't want to date me, I'm always aiming higher," while showcasing her pole vaulting skills. The League, a selective dating app for those seeking serious relationships, launched in 2015 and offers memberships starting at $96.99 per week.
95 posts categorized "TheLeague"
Olympian Alysha Newman Stars in Ad for Exclusive Dating App 'The League' After Viral Olympic Twerk
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The League Bets People Will Pay Big to Mingle in Real Life
NEW YORK POST - The League, an exclusive dating app known for vetting its members, is expanding beyond the digital space by hosting upscale in-person events in New York, such as in the Hamptons and at the US Open. These events are part of a new hybrid model combining online dating with real-life interactions to offer a more curated experience.
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Dating Apps Once Ran on Novelty. For Some Users, the Fun Is Over
WALL STREET JOURNAL - As dating apps seek to attract new users, their marketing efforts are increasingly backfiring. Ads from Bumble, The League, and Hinge have drawn criticism for various reasons, reflecting broader frustrations with online dating. Bumble apologized for ads joking about celibacy, which users found insensitive. The League was criticized for "cringy" campaigns, yet insists its bold approach resonates with its target audience. Hinge continues to refresh its "Designed to Be Deleted" campaign but faces user dissatisfaction. Growth in online dating is slowing. Half of online daters report negative experiences, driven by issues like ghosting and unsolicited messages, according to Pew. Companies are now focusing on enhancing user trust and improving the overall dating experience.
by Sara Ashley O'Brian & Katie Deighton
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The League's "Be a GoalDigger" Campaign Earned an Obie Award Nomination
LINKEDIN - The League's "Be a GoalDigger" campaign marks an innovative milestone for the dating app, which has long been perceived as catering exclusively to high-earning, Ivy-League-educated elites. Recently nominated for an Obie Award in the Combined Multi-OOH Formats, Transit & Copywriting category, this campaign represents The League's effort to correct misconceptions and broaden its appeal to include all ambitious, goal-oriented singles. For the past decade, constrained by a lean startup budget, The League's advertising efforts were largely confined to basic digital channels. Now, with the support of Match Group, the campaign has been able to expand into a full-scale, multi-channel marketing initiative.
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A New Lawsuit Claims Match Group's Apps Encourage Compulsive Use
REUTERS - Match Group was sued on Wednesday in a proposed class action claiming that its dating apps Tinder, Hinge and The League are designed to addict users, generating more profit for the company, rather than help them establish relationships. Match employs features "to gamify the platforms to transform users into gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose," according to the complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco. The six plaintiffs - who live in California, Florida, Georgia and New York - called this inconsistent with Match's ad slogan that its apps are "designed to be deleted." Match rejected the plaintiffs' claims.
by Jonathan Stempel
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Wealthy Gen Z and Millennials Pay up to $30K for The League, a LinkedIn-Based Dating App
FORTUNE - The League, a dating app founded by Amanda Bradford in 2014, aims to serve ambitious millennials and Gen Z users with an exclusive, high-cost membership model. Bradford describes the app as a platform for the "overly ambitious," offering memberships starting at $100 per week. Following its acquisition by Match Group for $29.9 million in 2022, The League has introduced features like speed dating and personalized dating advice. Bradford's vision for the app is to fill the gaps in information on dating profiles, saying, "You put in your LinkedIn profile as a means of admission," focusing on career and educational background. The VIP membership, costing up to $30,000 annually, targets career-driven individuals seeking like-minded partners, with Bradford emphasizing, "I built The League for myself, to essentially find my life partner." The League distinguishes itself in the dating app market by leveraging technology and strategic matchmaking to cater to a specific, motivated clientele.
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Video: Amanda Bradford's Journey: Creating 'The League' for Elite Singles
FORTUNE - How Amanda Bradford, The League founder, went from $200K in debt to making her first million with a dating app for the young, ambitious, and wealthy.
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The Era of Free Dating Apps May Be Over
CNBC - 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.
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Amanda Bradford's Vision for The League's Future With Match Group
FORTUNE - Amanda Bradford, the founder of the exclusive dating app The League, sold her startup to Match Group for $29.9M. Bradford, who raised $2.2 M in seed funding and was the solo founder, became more risk-averse over time, prompting her decision to sell. She chose Match Group, impressed by their track record with Hinge, to avoid the negative experiences she'd heard about from venture funding or private equity acquisitions. Now within Match's portfolio, The League remains relatively autonomous and aims to innovate as a hybrid online-offline platform. Post-pandemic, with a new marketing budget, Bradford plans to reintroduce the app, particularly to Gen Z users who are currently unfamiliar with The League.
by Emma Hinchliffe & Joseph Abrams
See full article at Fortune
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The League: a Dating App for Ambitious Individuals
CNBC - The League, a dating app criticized as "elitist," emphasizes matching goal-oriented individuals based on shared values and aspirations. Despite its initial label, it is open to all who share ambition, not just the wealthy. The app employs features like "GoalMates" to facilitate connections based on shared goals and offers a matchmaking service. Amanda Bradford, the founder, believes people are naturally drawn to those similar to themselves. Some of the app's controversial advertisements have stirred discussions. Overall, The League centers on connecting people with common ambitions and values.
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The League Founder Amanda Bradford on Company's Success and $30M Acquisition by Match Group
FORBES - Amanda Bradford, founder of The League dating app, gives her first in-depth interview since selling her company to Match Group for $30M. Launched nearly a decade ago, The League aimed to serve ambitious singles and achieved one of the highest match rates in the industry. Bradford has now announced a redesign and a new national ad campaign called "Be a Goal Digger," featuring a new feature, "GoalMates," that puts goals at the forefront of dating connections. Under Bradford's direction, the app initially gained traction through a carefully curated user base, later expanding to NYC and LA. It then secured $2.3M in angel investment, leading to profitability within a year. Today, the app is used in 155 metropolitan areas globally and offers free and subscription-based memberships.
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The League Launches 'Goaldiggers' Campaign Targeting High Achievers"
MEDIA POST - The League, a dating app acquired by Match Group, is rolling out a new campaign called "Goaldiggers" to attract ambitious, goal-oriented individuals. The app distinguishes itself by requiring an application and integrating with LinkedIn, accepting only 20-30% of applicants to ensure a high-quality user base. The campaign aims to clarify that The League is about ambition, not elitism, and includes features like a goal-matching checklist to help users find like-minded partners. Founder Amanda Bradford emphasizes that the app aims to provide a premium experience for people who value ambition in potential partners.
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Dating App The League Launches 'GoalMate' Feature
TECH CRUNCH - The League, the dating app designed for driven and career-focused people, is launching a new feature called "GoalMate," allowing users to share their goals on their profile and match with like-minded individuals. This is the first feature The League has launched since it was acquired by Match Group last year. The League gives users a selection of up to 10 goals to showcase on their profile. There are ~100 options to choose from, ranging from "Keep a plant alive" to "Climb Kilimanjaro". The feature will eventually allow users to type in their own goals, said Amanda Bradford, founder and CEO of The League. The League launched in 2015 as a selective dating app for users with high standards.
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Dating App Patent Held by Trinity Info Media Invalidated by U.S. Appeals Court
OBWBIP - The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the invalidation of an online dating app patent owned by Trinity Info Media (TIM), marking a blow to its enforcement campaign against owners and operators of dating apps such as Coffee Meets Bagel, Raya App, The League App, and Covalent, Inc. The court's decision relied on the Alice two-step framework, ruling that TIM's patent was too abstract and not eligible for protection under Section 101 of the Patent Statute. Despite this setback, patent litigation in the dating app space is expected to continue.
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CONFIRMED: Match Group Acquires The League
OPW - Match has just closed an acquisition of The League, a premium, niche dating app with a curated member base focused on matching career-oriented users looking for serious relationships. The app has an admissions-based model where potential users can apply to join by submitting their social media profiles. Users are then waitlisted until they pass a screening algorithm and review process. It can be used for free members buy a subscription, which doubles their matches.
Mark Brooks: What Should Match Group Do Next? Please join the conversation. Voice your opinion on this Swell.
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