Marketing

I have to admit I didn't notice the change.

Back in 2007 eHarmony decided to stop using the TV commercial format that they have been using successfully for the previous 5 years. You know, the one where several couples are used to talk about dating and eHarmony in the same commercial. Greg Waldorf, the CEO of eHarmony though it was too superficial and decided to focus just on one couple per ad. This way the one couple could go more in-depth about what makes eHarmony a great dating site. The other ad format was very successful for eHarmony, but Greg wanted to see if the new formula would create even greater success. By March 2008 the new format commercials were created and the Canadian market was used as an initial test. The commercials were well received and instead of the new commercials airing in June 2008 for the US, it was pushed up one month, to May.

From the commercials I have seen, for the most part the new ads are still pretty similar to the old ads. You still have the white background and the same type of music. The couple speak like they are answering questions from an off camera person and in this way they provide information for the viewing audience. This is very similar to how the old commercials worked. The only thing different is when the camera switches shots, it just focuses on the same couple again to rely more information, instead of a different couple like the old commercials.

Read the full story at The Wall Street Journal. For more information on this popular dating service, read our eHarmony review.

Time did a piece called Advice for the New Dating Game were they look at dating advice and who has been offering it. Some of the examples include online dating sites, psychologists, TV talk show hosts and stand-up comedians (they forgot dating blogs!). Chemistry.com was briefly mentioned in this article in regards to Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist. She is Chemistry's chief scientific advisor and helped develop the profile questionnaire and matching system for the dating site.

I also notice a piece in the March issue of the Discover magazine called The Ascent of Darwin. In the first paragraph Dr. Helen Fisher is called a Darwinian matchmaker because of her research into the science of romantic attraction. Discover further reveals that she bases her ideas on the principles of evolutionary psychology, which is a field that is inspired by some of Charles Darwin's insights.

Look here for the full Time article and for more information on the above online dating site, read our Chemistry review.

Since last Fridays story called Chemistry.com's Chief Scientific Advisor is on ABC's 20/20 Tonight we have learned that Dr. Helen Fisher and Chemistry.com will be featured on other popular network TV shows like USA Today, ABC’s The View, CNN and GMA Weekend. if you missed the 20/20 special then you can check it out online at ABC News. Dr. Fisher was on Good Morning America as well last Monday, discussing her book which examines true love.

As Valentine's Day approaches you will see Dr. Fisher and Chemistry.com more and more in both print and video. This include Feb. 11 in USA Today, Feb. 12 on The View and on her busiest day, Friday February the 13th, where she has 30 interviews scheduled on morning shows across the country.

I heard on the radio today that in Canada, the television network CTV is not airing The Ashley Madison Agency commercial during the Super Bowl. The commercial has been approved by The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to contain no false advertising and meets with the standards set for a commercial airing in that time of day.

Known worldwide, Ashley Madison is a dating site which allows married people to find each other and hook-up. According to the web site they have over 3 million members. AshleyMadison.com is based in Canada and has run several late night TV and radio commercials on such US networks as FOX. The owner also has appeared on CNN several times for interviews.

Here is the banned Super Bowl commercial with the tag line "When Divorce isn't an Option"

Note: Unfortunately the source to the video and/or image which once was displayed here has since been removed by the authors for an unknown reason.

There is nothing wrong with the commercial except for the fact of how the husband and wife are treating each other. Of course, there is also the message that it is ok to cheat on your husband or wife if they are treating you badly. The problem is, I don't see this commercial being much different than daytime soaps or TV shows like Desperate Housewives which one of their main reoccurring themes is people cheating on their spouses.

India’s largest online matrimonial services, Shaadi.com announced a partnership with Star Plus (an Indian entertainment television channel) to create a new entertainment and reality TV show that helps singles from India to find a partner for marriage. The show will document the participants from the initial meeting, until the wedding, and everything in between.

The show is open to all eligible single male and female Indian residents, who can speak fluent Hindi and are aged between 22 to 25 (for females) and 22 to 30 (for males) ... To register for the show, eligible participants can log onto Shaadi.com and fill in a simple form online. Registrations will be open from 15th to 30th January 2009.

I'm not sure why Shaadi.com released the press release today since the registration time is almost up (3 more days).

For more information on one of India's most popular online dating and matrimonial sites, read our Shaadi.com review.

According to NewMediaAge, eHarmony is going to be doing a big marketing campaign in the United Kingdom. This is the first major marketing campaign for the UK version of the dating site, which launched last July (see story). For the first month or so eHarmony UK was offering free 90 day memberships to help populate their database with profiles. The digital marketing agency which eHarmony hired called Essence, will soon be launching a display, search and affiliate campaign. NewMediaAge also estimates eHarmony's US marketing budget at $160 million.

To find out more information about this popular dating service, read our eHarmony review.