• by Seana Mulcahy , August 12, 2003

What do you think about when you hear about online dating? Well, if you are like me, you probably don't have great things running through your head.

There has been a lot of press lately about the successes of such services. Last week, Mark wrote a great primer. I chuckled when I read the bit about Match.com. Boy, is it amazing how we get ourselves intimately wrapped up in brands.

One thing before you read on: I don't want inconsiderate postings on the SPIN board. That said, less than a year ago (when I was at an agency) we became involved in one heck of a pitch for Match.com. A young business development assistant scoured the agency for all different types of singles: young, old, gay, straight, divorced without kids, divorced with kids, suburban, urban... you get the drift.

Those who were selected became our focus group. They were told to go onto the site, pick a username and password, and sign up to become a member. Once they were members, they were required to post a picture (taken of course by the young biz dev associate), and craft a profile.

A couple of my good friends were a part of this little experiment. I honestly thought that the experience would consist of seedy jargon, intrusive instant messaging and graphic emails. I was completely wrong.

My friends got emailed by likeminded potential "matches." They had similar interests and/or backgrounds. I was amazed by this. I wondered if it was luck or happenstance. So I decided to put my advertiser hat back on and do some digging.

First of all, online dating is a serious business. The category represents the highest earned revenue than any other on the Web today. Jupiter predicts 2003 revenues to hit $313 million. Of course, match is another Diller goldmine that leads the category.

Behind the scenes there are skillfully crafted love algorithms. Yes, that's right, formulas for finding, well... errr... Mr. or Ms. Right. Okay, here's where the confession comes in. Guess who signed up to get a "true feel" for the user experience. The things we'll do in the name of advertising! I was completely freaked out. I decided not to take a new picture. I posted the one I use here on the SPIN board. Then I had to enter in my zip code (which made me even more nervous) and click on pre-selected questions such as: What's your ideal first date? What are your turn ons (power, tattoos, body piercings, money, etc.)? Religion? Political viewpoint? Living situation (live alone, with roommates, etc.)? Past relationship status (married, kids, never married, no kids, etc.)? Do you want kids? How many? Would you be willing to adopt? Career? Salary (optional field)? Do you have animals? Do you like but don't own animals? Select a distance/area that you'd like to search for matches. The list went on.

After that is complete you have several hundred characters allocated to scripting your own profile. As Mark mentioned in his article, many people write, "I can't believe I'm doing this..." For me, this was a good thing. I couldn't believe it either.

I got through the arduous process of describing myself and my ideal mate. I was pleased to see that you provide an email address that looks anonymous. Match has it and redirects messages to that account. However, the users do not. They can send you emails but it appears that everyone is at match.com.

You can see how many times someone has viewed your profile and who's been online. Users can instant message each other. There was absolutely nothing about the experience that resembled my initial perceptions.

I was amazed when I saw whom I was matched up with. Because of the back end search functionality, it was uncanny. Sure there are a variety of freaks and geeks that see your photo and send you an unsolicited message. There are also the weirdos that search for people online then send IMs. But the true service is pretty cool. I agree it's much better than meeting someone in a bar.

How can you go wrong with seeing someone's photos, reading their aspirations, occupation, likes, dislikes, etc.? So what about me, you ask? I actually met someone that grew up right around the corner. It's about as matched as match can be. There's still a part of me that gets nervous and says I met him "around."

Well, we didn't win the pitch, but we had a heck of a lot of fun. Some stayed on the service, some left. I learned a lesson in brand loyalty. And the guy? Come on, I can't tell you everything...