COURTLAND BROOKS

Fake Profiles On Home Page Of Mamba's New Site, Wamba

COURTLAND BROOKS - June 2 - It's tempting for internet dating sites to run fake profiles when they're starting up. At Courtland Brooks we recommend iDating sites steer clear of such tactics. In 2004 I joined Cupid.com as VP Marketing and we immediately removed the stock photography from the home page images. Most dating sites use stock photography for their lead photographs.  But I think most users know the difference, and it invokes an element of distrust. So at Cupid we cherry-picked profile photographs and profiles and revolved them on the home page, rather than use stock photography.  POF used photos of real members. Mostly bad photographs. So users were more likely to be pleasantly surprised when they saw their dates.

An OPW reader sent us some intriguing images from the Wamba home page today. Wamba is Mamba's foray into international social discovery. Mamba is the top idating site in Russia. 

"Mamba is pleased to announce the launch of the international online social discovery brand Wamba. This new project will be a key project for the company in the international market."

James, 28
  

Emma, 31
  

Mike, 36
  

Chemistry.com Offers Tutoring. Meanwhile iDating Industry Misses The Boat

COURTLAND BROOKS - Apr 27 - The CEO of Match.com, Mandy Ginsberg, just left Match to head Tutor.com. Then we just heard from Art at DatingCoach.org who heard from one of his clients, that Chemistry.com is introducing personalized coaching (see image). Hmm, interesting!

The Courtland Brooks team agrees that dating coaching is a huge and rather challenging opportunity. Jim Safka, a prior (all-star) CEO of Match.com had a vision to build Match to a billionaire dollar a year company using matchmakers, but ended up nixing the alpha program to use matchmakers. I'm sure they realized it was fraught with danger for the Match.com brand. People will forgive $30 a month if they don't meet the love of their life. They won't forgive $2k+ in matchmaking fees. And often they will go online and ream a matchmaking brand if they feel they haven't performed.  Most of the time matchmakers fail. But people need help. Match.com realized this a long time ago when they engaged Dr Phil. But that didn't work out. But still, people need guidance and feedback and 'tutoring.'

So is Mandy Ginsberg behind this new coaching element on Chemistry.com? She did pioneer the brand. She was responsible for the brands initial growth and success. I first met Mandy at a press meeting in New York where Jim Safka was communicating his vision for building Match.com by expanding Match services to higher price points...and matchmaking.  This is critical for the future of Match. People need help. Match knows it. We know it. But noone has successfully integrated personal high-end customized advice with iDating.

Ultimately dating sites are missing a huge retention mechanism by not 'completing the loop.' Let me explain. The internet dating business is broken. We match people, then send them off on their merry way. There's a huge disconnect. We need to be part of the entire relationship continuum by not only helping people with finding suitable people, but also with knowing how to better present themselves, what mistakes to avoid, and most importantly how to keep that person.

I kid with my wife that I realize 'getting the girl and keeping the girl are two entirely different things.' Actually, I'm not really kidding at all. It's a very serious point. People need help not only to meet a suitable partner, but also to keep them. Many people simply lack the ability to reflect and self-analyze and behave appropriately in relationships. You know what I mean? People need help, and we need to help them. And in helping them we can complete the huge disconnect in our businesses.

Bear with me. Here's what we mean. Internet dating sites should all conduct exit surveys when people opt to leave. You should know why your users are leaving. It's crucial, crucial feedback.  And it's simple to do. Just ask them when they stop paying or want to delete their profile or don't login for a month. Via your website or email. Be personable. If they like your brand and you've built a good relationship with them, they'll respond. That feedback is important for your product design and matching algorithm. But its also important so you know how to market to that person next. If they've met someone, start coaching them on how to keep that person. If they didn't, offer personalized assistance to find out why (also great feedback for you!) and help them to do better next time. 

Yeah, I know, easier said than done. But if it was so easy, others would have thought of it. What you see with this latest move by Match.com is evidence that they are pursuing this 'holy grail' again, with Chemistry.com. 

Learning 2.0, Strelka Style

MARK BROOKS - Apr 4 - The way we learn is changing.  And there are some inspirational examples in Coursera, Khan Academy and Montessori.

I just came across the Strelka Institute on Red October Island which is Moscow's answer to the London Docklands or New Yorks Tribeca.  The Institute advocates learning by making change.  Real change.  There’s no exams, no coursework, just real rubber hitting the road.  Students propose change and then make it happen in the form of media, architecture and society. 

Strelka Institute is funded by billionaire Alexander Mamut, who is probably the most powerful oligarch you never heard of, and noted for his cultural interests and media ventures, which include buying LiveJournal in 2007.

Learning 1.0 was about rote learning.  Learning 2.0 is all about creativity, the individual, and learning to think and make change.

The Subtle Cuts Of An Irksome Reporter - The FT's Kellaway Hacks Richard Gere

MARK BROOKS - Feb 3 - I like Richard Gere, and I really like the Financial Times.  After FT's Associate Editor Lucy Kellaway interviewed Richard Gere for the Financial Times Weekend Magazine this weekend, moreso the FT (and Lucy), and less so Gere.  She seems to have approached the interview with as open a mind as she could muster, but Gere clearly pissed her off.  She made some artful and highly amusing hacks at his persona. 

Here's how Gere annoyed her...

Gere has a PR flack in the room and turns his attention away from Lucy to address his PR aid. 

Lucy tells him he holds him responsible for the terrible fashion trend of unstructured Armani jackets that were rage after he starred in American Gigolo.  Gere responds by talking to his flack.  'This is obsessive.  The eyes are unblinking.  This is serious stuff.  There are deep wounds about this.'

Gere heads into talking about how some emotions are not real, but Lucy cuts him off and wants to know more about the hotel he runs with his wife in Westchester county. Again, he turns to his PR aid.  'Do you believe how she sidestepped that whole important story?  I'm struck with that.'

He ends up cutting her interview time short.  'I'm pulling the plug on this one.

Here's Lucy's amusing hacks at his character...

"And his famously beautiful face strikes me as oddly bland.  Writing this a day later, I close my eyes and can't see it at all."

"Gere has snatched an early lead in the parlour game, holding forth at great length and with great conviction in an entirely unquotable manner."

"I wonder what it is about Buddhism that makes it so irresistible to actors.  Gere thinks for a bit and starts on another long reply, composed in short sentences, each of which makes perfect sense, though together are somewhat baffling."

"These days he is as carefree as a child, he says, before following up this claim with an assertion that could only come from a weary adult. 'I'm just a guy doing a job, ok?' You're doing your job. I'm doing my job. I have no illusions beyond that.'"

The lesson to be learned.  When interviewing with reporters, leave your ego at the door.  Be nice. Focus and answer the damn question.  Reporters are generally highly capable, often high-ego, rightfully so, and grossly underpaid.  Their professional pride and ability are their main drivers, and that behooves respect.  Even from mega-stars, and business moguls.

Gere says he'd work more if he could find more good scripts, in this BBC interview.  Kellaway says executives lack introspection (BBC), and is curious how people deal with becoming rich (Radio 4 One to One).  Community, friends and purpose are more important according to her interviewee.

What It Really Takes To Succeed

COURTLAND BROOKS - Feb 7 - Jack Welch (former CEO GE) is one of our heroes.  He's started the Jack Welch Management Institute, backed by Strayer University.  In one of his briefings he writes about what it really takes to succeed in business.  Here's a summary of his top 7 key-points.

1. You don't need to be a bloodless super achiever.  Be real. Be authentic.
2. You also need to be smart, curious and highly collaborative.
3. You need to be able to ignite diverse teams to work together.
4. You need heaps of positive energy, the guts to make tough yes-or-no decisions, and the endurance to execute - get the job done.
5. You should possess self-confidence and humility at the same time.  That combination is called maturity.
6. You'll also need heavy-duty resilience.  Own and learn from your failures.
7. The final quality is quite rare: you should be able to see around corners and anticipate the radically unexpected. This takes years, even decades to get a feel for what competitors are thinking, and what customers will eventually want.  

Food for thought.

IDEA Party In New York, Thursday 7th Feb

OPW - Feb 6 - Please join me for an Internet Dating Executive Alliance soiree at an upscale venue in New York in MidTown on 5th Avenue. Champagne and hors d'hoeuvres will be served, and the event will run from 6:30-8pm, Thursday 7th Feb, in a private room.

This is open exclusively to Internet Dating executives only.  No vendors will be present. This soiree is kindly sponsored by ads.pof.com, AnastasiaDate, Dating Factory, Teligence.

Please email mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com to RSVP.

NYC Dinners With Mark And Dan

OPW - Jan 15 - I'm running two dinners in NYC in February. 

On Monday 4th February please join myself and Dan Slater, author of the new book Love In The Time Of Algorithms for dinner.

On Wednesday 6th February I'm running a dinner for end-users and executives to meet and dine. Join us for Internet Dating Hullabaloo.

Infographic - The History Of Mobile Dating

OPW - July 31 - After the mobile dating conference Irena decided to put together this tidy little infographic on the history of mobile dating for you. 

Mobile dating began to take shape in 2003. ProxiDating was one of the first dating services using bluetooth. Users were alerted when a person with a matching profile was within 15 meters. Unsurprisingly it didn't take off.  In 2004 Match, Webdate and Lavalife were the mobile dating early leaders.  2006 was the year of skepticism, and bad mdating user experience.  Mobile dating was mainly used by youngsters to chat and few people saw mobile dating as a serious extension to online dating.  

It wasn't until the iPhone arrived in 2007 that mobile dating took off.  2010 went down in Internet dating history as the year mobile dating becoming mainstream.  Many of the traditional dating sites launched solid apps.  In 2012 mobile dating is now overtaking online dating. Match.com and POF.com and Badoo now see over 40% of their log-ins coming from mobile phones and mobile dating is expected to generate $1.4 Billion in revenue in 2013 worldwide.

What Apple, Amazon And Netflix Understand About Their Customers (That Your Company Probably Doesn't)

COURTLAND BROOKS - Aug 1 - The Courtland Brooks team like to read the latest marketing and business books.  We thought we'd summarize the best of what we read.

Alex Goldfayn is a Chicago Tribune tech columnist turned marketing consultant. Here's our 'Nutshells' (top ten action items) from his 288 page book which was published Jan 2012.

__

1. Identify your consumer evangelists that reach your mainstream users. Feed and groom them with regular attention and information and keep them excited.

2. Have your employees and executives (purely qualitatively) interview your customers to find out exactly what their thoughts are on your products. Discuss problems and dig deeper. What do they want your products to do, experience and achieve for them.   10-15 mins telephone interviews. Reward interviewers and involve everyone.

3. Use this information to improve your products, and report back to interviewees on the changes their feedback prompted. Use the feedback for your advertising and marketing campaigns as well.

4. Focus on serving mainstream users, rather than early adopters.

5. Advertising should tell the story of how you improve lives, ideally with real testimonials from delighted users.

6. Focus on TV, newspaper and magazine advertising.  Thats where mainstream users are.

7. Use social media to help your users talk to each other.

8. Keep your brand names short and memorable.  i.e. iPhone, Netflix, TiVo.

9. Use Facebook and Twitter to listen and respond to your customers and use Apple-ese, 'amazing, incredible, powerful, first-ever, great!.' Guide users to believe you're unique and irreplaceable.

10. Your CEO needs to speak in emotional terms about your products.

Why Good Deeds Invite Bad Publicity

MARK BROOKS - July 5 - A Harvard Business School study tried to connect the dots between corporate good deeding and improvements in their bottom lines and concluded that companies should be nice, because its the right thing to do.  Not to make more money. 

In fact, if a company is already positioned as being 'fantastic' it can make it a lightening rod for battering negative media attention when they misstep.  Being positioned as 'trying to be fantastic' can also play out poorly. 

See article at HBS Working Knowledge 

The press love extremes and opposing sides.  Good vs bad, or good companies in bad situations makes for great headlines, and hemorrhaging brands.  We recommend companies focus on the triple bottom line and work with causes that fuel employee morale and team cohesion, rather than PR tactics.