UPFRONTS: MARKETERS WHO MATTER
ROMAIN BERTRAND EHARMONY
investment and random trawling of profiles. At that stage in their life, they turn to eHarmony for something more meaningful and personalised.
Romain Bertrand is UK Marketing Director at online dating site eHarmony. Before that he was Head of Marketing at JustGiving. He tells us about data, dating and reaching always-on singles.
Is it fair to say that the nature of online dating is changing to accommodate the information- hungry consumer and what does this mean for matchmaking services like eHarmony?
ROMAIN BERTRAND: The UK dating market is a fast-moving and fast-changing sector with new entrants coming in every other week. But many of these new dating, flirting and casual sites are not in the same business we’re in—we are a relationship site, rooted in compatibility science and matching. What’s interesting with the online dating brand proliferation we’re seeing in the UK is that it isn’t hampering us: it’s doing the opposite—increasing awareness and serving to further cement online dating as the new norm. In fact, we see the Tinders and
Zoosks of this world as gateway brands. Our core paying subscribers are 35 to 65-year- olds, with the younger market registering but not as willing to invest. We see the 18 to 25-year- olds playing with the free apps, but later becoming frustrated and disillusioned with the time
Who or what are some of your favourite sources of insight or inspiration in the field of digital media/marketing? Are there any writers, speakers or thinkers you particularly admire? RB: People like author and marketing guru Jonah Peretti and David Taylor inspire me. David’s blog,
thebrandgym.com, is a goldmine of thought-provoking marketing insight and opinions around the latest brand activity: outlining what worked and what didn’t, and then drilling down into this. A bit like the gym, except a little less sweat-inducing, thankfully. His words really challenge you and make you want to push harder, go that little bit
further and be daring in what you do.
Which other brands’ marketing strategies do you admire and why? RB: The team and I regularly run off-site planning and creative sessions, and a useful exercise that sticks in my mind is asking the question, ‘If eHarmony was Red Bull, how would we speak and behave?’ The beauty of the Red Bull brand is that it has absolute clarity on what it stands for. Its ‘wings’ tagline works every time. Its simplicity and focus on core values let Red Bull expand into areas that any other drinks company simply wouldn’t have the right to play in.
How do you picture the ultimate online dating service (if money, resources and technology were no object)? RB: Technology, alongside the popularity and acceptance of online dating, is driving exciting developments across our industry. We’re seeing the rise of gamification across the market. Maybe this trend reflects a desire for simplification, as consumers are increasingly time-poor and on the move. Their changing media consumption habits—the growth of sites like BuzzFeed, YouTube and Mail Online—focus on bite- size, picture-led content that’s easy to digest. I think this is the key to building the relationship sites of the future.
Technology and the acceptance of online dating are driving exciting developments across our industry
INTERVIEW ESTELLE HAKNER 11 issue 25 july 2015
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