Line of Business
Dating site discreetly woos Canadians with Web and mobile
Ashley Madison is the fastest growing dating Web site in North America. Toronto-based CEO Noel Biderman says he's just offering a niche service others are ignoring. But the secret of the site's success goes beyond that -- it has a lot to do with the smart use of social media. INCLUDES VIDEO.2/9/2010 6:00:00 AM By: Brian Jackson
A rejection of his ad from the esteemed commercial roster for this past weekend's Superbowl doesn't concern the CEO of the fastest-growing dating Web site in North America.
CEO Noel Biderman knew the rejection would win his new dating site for gay men -- ManCrunch -- more exposure on news media than he could have paid for with that expensive ad spot. Indeed, Larry King interviewed him in the week leading up to the Superbowl.
The rejected ad simply led to more people watching the video online and finding the niche dating service.
“We identify underserviced market segments and we create businesses for them,” Biderman says. “We're proud of Ashley Madison, it's the fastest growing dating site in North America and that's a phenomenal accomplishment.”
The Ashley Madison Agency is Biderman's most famous (some would argue, infamous) dating service – caters to folk already in committed relationships or marriages, looking to have a discreet affair. With slogans like “life is short, have an affair”, little wonder the service's advertisements were banned from the 2009 Superbowl. Just like this year's ManCrunch ads.
It's all part of the plan for the Toronto-based firm, according to Biderman.
“We realized we had a challenge,” he tells a crowd gathered for Toronto's Social Media Week. “We learned to be sophisticated and have a Plan B.”
Plan B means audience engagement online, he explains. Using a Twitter account to connect with users, reaching out to the blog community, and personally responding to every e-mail received – whether good or bad.
The approach seems to be working.
Since launching eight years ago, Ashley Madison has 5.2 million members in four different countries. There have also been several spin-off Web sites, each looking to fill a niche dating service gap. Established Men promises to connect rich businessmen with young, beautiful women for “mentoring.” Other Web sites connect older women with young men, or cater to the swingers lifestyle.
Page Navigation 1) The rejected ad led to more people watching the video online. - Page 12) One in five Canadians will visit a personals site in a given month - the highest ratio in the world. - Page 2
3) Traffic surges right after couples-oriented events, such as Valentine's Day. - Page 3
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