More brand advertisers may soon join the online dating fray, lured by a fast-growing, engaged consumer segment.
IPG Media Lab has released a report advising advertisers chasing those consumers who have shifted online dating to smartphones. The report follows a similar white paper IPG, part of the Interpublic Group, published in April on social messaging apps. Mobile dating, the report claims, is tracing a similar trajectory of rapid growth, commanding increasing attention from young audiences. It's a shift marketers can't ignore.
"Here's another group of apps that are forming their own media ecosystem based purely on its size," said Melvin Wilson, head of strategy at IPG Media Lab and co-author of the report.
IPG examined three of the largest platforms: Tinder, the dating app owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp; HowAboutWe, a platform for couples; and Grindr, an app for gay and bisexual men. Tinder claims to register 750 million interactions -- it has a 'swipe' feature for flipping through potential suitors -- per day. By comparison, Twitter claims 500 million tweets per day. The category's growth, Mr. Wilson claimed, will mimic Twitter's trajectory. Each dating service began as a utility but can, like Twitter has, morph into a richer, ad-selling media platform
As media platforms, romance apps are still in the early, awkward phase. Executives at Tinder, whose influence inside of IAC has swelled recently, have allowed a few promotional campaigns and expressed interest in running more native advertising within the app. (Its executives are also dealing with a sexual harassment lawsuit.)
"Right now, brands are kind of hacking the apps to create they're own experiences," Mr. Wilson said.
Here, three key lessons for brands looking to court mobile daters.