Building a strong brand can help to change ingrained category assumptions

As a new or emerging category of business, you have to build momentum and gain acceptance from the outset. In 1995, online dating wasn’t the norm. We had to send out clear and tailored messages. Even 10 years later, in 2005, when we launched our first TV campaign, we were still trying to dispel some of the taboos around the category.

We also have to consider that in such a huge market, there is no one size- fits-all solution. Cultures all date differently and think about love differently, and we have to hire the best local talent on the ground in all our major territories to ensure each of our marketing campaigns are put together with this in mind.

Even if people like the idea of online dating existing and find it socially acceptable, as consumers have claimed in feedback, we find that they still count on meeting their future partner as a result of fate and destiny. So our advertising has had to try to explain that relying on these two things is inadequate and not reliable for finding love.

After all, the social atmosphere has evolved. People’s lives have become busier, we work longer hours and socialise in different ways – such as through social networks and instant messaging. The internet has a huge part to play in people’s lives and in that respect, online dating is a natural evolution.

Message overload

The digital space is huge, however. Not only are societies evolving but so is the online world. Messages can get lost or diluted with so many brands and different services out there. For example, in our business area, there are 1,400 dating sites out there globally. How do you compete in that environment?

You have to find one core idea expressed in values that you can stick to. For us, it’s about romance and love. We have to communicate this happy idea while also making sure that we follow strict guidelines to make our site and community a secure place. We need to check every profile and keep things safe for our serious users. There are ethical considerations attached to everything we do and we take our daily responsibilities to consumers, society and the environment very seriously. Social networks have helped our business model because they have proved to be good at helping people to communicate without actually having a face-to-face conversation.

Sites such as Facebook allow users to see what their family and friends are doing by updates of status and photos. Social networks are good at forging strong ties. They break down taboos about contacting people and chatting to them freely.

But what social networks aren’t so good at is creating new romantic opportunities. By its very nature, a social network involves people you know. There isn’t the chance to meet new people. This is where people can use our service as they have already got used to marketing themselves to their friends. Now they use the same skills on our site for different reasons.

Here to stay

For any brand, staying fresh in the market is vital. We need to show people that online dating isn’t just a fad or phase. That means developing new marketing campaigns, whether these are partnerships or experiential activity. By making ourselves globally visible – we are in 38 markets – we can combat the taboos associated with our category in general.

One day, the time will come when people will stop talking about the online dating area as becoming popular and understand that it is just another way to find love. There will no longer be marketing needed to address taboos.