Selling Love: The Business of On-Line Dating

Summary

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly – Episode Summary: "Selling Love: The Business of On-Line Dating"

Release Date: June 28, 2025
Host: Terry O’Reilly
Network: Apostrophe Podcast Network

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Introduction to Love and Matchmaking

Terry O'Reilly opens the episode by diving into the historical and philosophical underpinnings of love, referencing Plato's "Symposium" and the humorous yet profound tale by Aristophanes about the origins of human desire and the perpetual search for a soulmate. This foundational narrative sets the stage for exploring how humanity's quest for connection has evolved into a thriving business.

[03:11] Terry O'Reilly: "Love is born into every human being. It calls back the halves of our original nature together. It tries to make one out of two."

The Dawn of Computer Matchmaking

The conversation transitions to the advent of computer-assisted matchmaking. Terry recounts early attempts at computerized dating, highlighting the initial endeavors at Stanford University in 1959, where students experimented with matching individuals using punch cards and mainframe computers. Although these early matches didn't flourish, they laid the groundwork for future innovations.

Joan Ball emerges as a pivotal figure in this narrative. In 1964, Ball successfully launched the St. James Computer Dating Service in London, utilizing insights from clients' "do not want" preferences to facilitate more meaningful matches. Her unconventional approach and savvy use of pirate radio advertising—[06:31] Kristen: "You're under the influence."—allowed her service to thrive despite societal skepticism.

[06:49] Terry O'Reilly: "Joan Ball didn't ask her clients what they wanted. She asked them what they didn't want. Matching people according to their do not want list was a remarkable insight."

The Evolution and Expansion of Dating Services

Terry outlines the exponential growth of computer dating, citing Operation Match at Harvard University, which expanded rapidly from 49 to 90,000 participants within a year. This surge underscored the public's growing acceptance and enthusiasm for online matchmaking.

He further explores the transition from computer dating to internet-based services, emphasizing the transformative impact of the internet on the dating industry. [12:03] Kristen: "Yes?" marks a segue into discussing You've Got Mail, the film that played a crucial role in destigmatizing online dating by portraying it as a viable means to find love.

Match.com: Pioneering Online Dating

Terry delves into the origins of Match.com, founded in 1994 by a frustrated individual seeking a more efficient way to find a date compared to expensive telephone services. Launched in 1995, Match.com distinguished itself by creating a safe and welcoming environment for women, offering anonymous email addresses to enhance privacy and comfort.

[17:47] Terry O'Reilly: "Do you make it romantic? Do you make it quick? Do you make it meaningful? Or do you make it a game? The answer appears to be yes."

Innovative Marketing Strategies: Ryan Reynolds and Hinge

The episode highlights creative marketing campaigns that have propelled dating services into the mainstream. One notable example is Match.com's collaboration with actor Ryan Reynolds and his company, Maximum Effort, resulting in the humorous "A Match Made in Hell" commercial. This ad cleverly personified the tumultuous year 2020 as a matchmaking opportunity, garnering over 11.8 million views.

Transitioning to another major player, Hinge is presented as a dating app with a unique mission: to be deleted once users find their match. Jordan McLeod's story of overcoming personal heartbreak to create Hinge underscores the app's commitment to fostering meaningful connections. The campaign’s mascot, Hingey, and the interactive billboard strategy significantly boosted Hinge's visibility and user base.

[28:28] Kristen: "Because when our users hit it off, we bite the dust and we're thrilled to death about it."

The Rise of Swipe Culture: Tinder's Gamification

Terry explores Tinder's innovative swiping mechanism, born from a founder's playful moment in the shower, which transformed dating into a game-like experience. Launched in 2012, Tinder capitalized on the mobile app trend, promoting quick hookups and casual relationships through its simple yet addictive swipe right/left interface.

[23:50] Kristen: "Why do tomatoes keep trying to convince us that they're a fruit and not a vegetable?"

The app's marketing often emphasizes the immediacy and spontaneity of connections, as seen in their relatable commercials that depict users navigating the complexities of modern romance with humor and authenticity.

Niche Dating Sites: Catering to Every Preference

The episode underscores the diversification of the online dating market, with specialty sites catering to specific interests and demographics. From Christian Mingle and FarmersOnly.com to CatPersonals.com and ParanormalDate.com, Terry illustrates how personalization has become key to capturing various segments of the market.

Impact and Economics of Online Dating

Terry presents compelling statistics to illustrate the vastness of the online dating industry. With over 1 in 10 people having used an online dating service, and the market valued at nearly $7 billion globally, the demand for digital matchmaking solutions is undeniable. He notes the significant revenues generated by giants like Match.com, which dominates the industry by acquiring numerous competitors and reporting revenues exceeding $2 billion.

Conclusion: The Enduring Quest for Connection

Wrapping up, Terry reflects on the enduring human desire for connection and how the online dating industry continues to adapt and thrive by leveraging technology and innovative marketing. The personal stories, historical insights, and market analyses presented throughout the episode illuminate the intricate dance between love and commerce in the digital age.

[21:46] Terry O'Reilly: "Love in the time of COVID has made online dating surge, pandemic or not, there will always be people searching for their other half, searching for that special person to complete them."

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Notable Quotes

• [03:11] Terry O'Reilly: "Love is born into every human being. It calls back the halves of our original nature together. It tries to make one out of two."

• [06:49] Terry O'Reilly: "Joan Ball didn't ask her clients what they wanted. She asked them what they didn't want. Matching people according to their do not want list was a remarkable insight."

• [17:47] Terry O'Reilly: "Do you make it romantic? Do you make it quick? Do you make it meaningful? Or do you make it a game? The answer appears to be yes."

• [28:28] Kristen: "Because when our users hit it off, we bite the dust and we're thrilled to death about it."

• [21:46] Terry O'Reilly: "Love in the time of COVID has made online dating surge, pandemic or not, there will always be people searching for their other half, searching for that special person to complete them."

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Production Credits

• Producer: Debbie O'Reilly
• Sound Engineer: Jeff Devine
• Theme Music: Ari Prince, Posner, and Ian LeFever
• Research: Abby Forsythe

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Further Listening

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

• "Put It Between Your Knees and Squeeze" – Season 7, Episode 1
• "Marketing a Fad"

Check out our archives on your preferred podcast platform and follow Terry on Twitter and Instagram.

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This summary is crafted to provide a comprehensive overview of the episode "Selling Love: The Business of On-Line Dating," ensuring clarity and engagement for both regular listeners and newcomers.

Transcript

[Terry O'Reilly]

Did you know that if you subscribe to our But Wait, there's more option, you get a bonus story in every episode of under the Influence. But Wait, there's more. For the price of a cup of coffee every month, you get early access so you hear every episode a full week before everybody else. Plus you enjoy that episode ad free. Tsk, tsk. And by subscribing, you support our podcast. Just go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe to under the Influences. But wait, there's more. Does it ever feel like you're a marketing professional just speaking into the void? Well, with LinkedIn ads, you can know you're reaching the right decision makers. You can even target buyers by job title, industry, company seniority skills. Wait, did I say job title yet? Get started today and see how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn ads. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started at LinkedIn.com results terms and conditions apply.

[Adam Grant]

Now at Verizon, we have some big news for your peace of mind for all our customers, existing and new. We're locking in low prices for three years guaranteed on MyPlan and MyHome. That's future you peace of mind and everyone can save on a brand new phone on MyPlan. When you trade in any phone for more our top brands, that's new phone peace of mind. Because at Verizon, whether you're already a customer or you're just joining us, we got you. Visit Verizon today. Price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate. Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

[Kristen]

Hey Kristen, how's it tracking with Carvana Value Tracker?

[Terry O'Reilly]

What else?

[Kristen]

Oh, it's tracking in fact. Value surge alert. Trucks up 2.5%. Vans down 1.7.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Just as predicted. So we gonna.

[Kristen]

I don't know, could sell.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Could hold the power to always know our car's worth.

[Kristen]

Exhilarating, isn't it? Tracking Always know your car's worth with Carvana Value tracker.

[Terry O'Reilly]

This is an apostrophe podcast production. You're soaking in it.

[Kristen]

Look greater than. No, no.

[Terry O'Reilly]

You'Re not.

[Kristen]

You.

[Terry O'Reilly]

When you're hungry.

[Norm]

You'Re in good hands with Austin.

[Kristen]

You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly.

[Terry O'Reilly]

One of Plato's greatest works was titled Symposium. It's a philosophical text written between 385 and 370 BC. It was fictional but. But fascinating. The basis of Symposium was a story about a group of men attending a banquet in ancient Greece. As wine flowed heavily it led to a friendly contest of speeches about love and desire. The guests included the philosopher Socrates, the statesman Alcibiades, and the comic playwright Aristophanes. When it came to Aristophanes turn, he wove a story about the origins of love. Aristophanes said that long ago, humans looked very different. They had four arms and four legs and two faces exactly alike on a cylindrical neck. They could move very fast and became arrogant and threatening. They were also very powerful. They were so powerful, the gods feared they might lose their dominion over humans. So to weaken them, Zeus, Greek king of gods, cut humans in two. Zeus then commanded Apollo to turn the faces of the severed humans to the side that was missing, so they would always be reminded they were not. Aristophanes said the severed humans were miserable. Each longed for their other half. From that day forward, humans have been desperately searching for their soulmate. Aristophanes said that when you meet your other half, something wonderful happens. The two are struck from their senses by love, by a sense of belonging to one another, by a sense of desire. And they never want to be separated again, not even for a moment. Love is born into every human being. It calls back the halves of our original nature together. It tries to make one out of two. According to Aristophanes, love is the name for our pursuit of. Of wholeness. And if we can find the person who completes us, we would be healed, blessed and happy. Each of us is a matching half of a human whole, he said. And each of us is always seeking the half that matches him. People are still seeking their perfect match. That's why matchmaking has become big business, and it's a very competitive category. Each dating site tries to offer a different experience. Each app tries to appeal to a slightly different audience. And each has its own marketing style. It's a very profitable industry because every single person is born single.

[Kristen]

You're under the influence.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Almost everyone in the world wants to find their soulmate. It has been a consuming desire since the dawn of time. And matching soulmate to soulmate has been a profitable business since at least the early 19th century. The business of matchmaking has evolved greatly over the years. And the emergence of the computer changed everything. The first attempt at computer matchmaking happened at Stanford University way back in 1959. Two students decided to try their hand at matchmaking for a class project. Using a questionnaire and punch cards, they fed the information into an IBM 650 mainframe computer. They matched 49 men with 49 women. Those relationships didn't really go anywhere. But the student duo did get an A for their database computer dating idea. But the first person to successfully run a computer dating service was a woman, and she lived in London, England. Joan Ball worked at a marriage bureau in 1964. Marriage bureaus provided introductions to single people hoping to meet a marriage partner. Joan found she had a great knack for pairing people up. She was a quick study of character and her instincts were razor sharp. Soon she decided to open her own business. Dating services were often eyed with suspicion because they offered to match men and women for a fee. And many thought they were just fronts for prostitution. So Joan Ball gave her company a very proper name. She called it the St. James computer dating Service. She took advantage of time shared computer resources because owning a computer at that time was cost prohibitive. In short order, her company became very successful because she had an unusual methodology. Joan didn't ask her clients what they wanted. She asked them what they didn't want. Joan believed that what people didn't want in a mate was far more revealing than the usual tall, dark and handsome responses. Matching people according to their do not want list was a remarkable insight. As her business was growing, she ran into a difficult problem. No newspaper would take her advertising because, of course, dating services were still seen as unseemly. So Joan made an interesting decision. She advertised on pirate radio stations. Back in the early 60s, the BBC wouldn't broadcast rock and roll. So some enterprising disc jockeys moored ships just outside British territorial waters where they couldn't be arrest, and beamed rock and roll back to a very ravenous audience. The pirate radio stations happily took Jones ads. It was an interesting bit of matchmaking in itself as pirate radio stations were seen as bold and exciting. And advertising on pirate stations made Joan's dating service feel bold and exciting. One year later, some students across the pond at Harvard took note of Joan Ball's success and started their own computer dating service. They called it Operation Match and gave their fellow students a 75 question survey that asked their romantic and social preferences. Then a team of secretaries or techretaries transferred that information onto punch cards and those cards were fed into an IBM mainframe computer. Operation Match hoped for 8,000 customers. One year later, in 1966, approximately 90,000 college students sent $3 and a completed questionnaire to Operation Match. With that computerized dating never looked back. A few years before the Internet became commercialized, my company, ironically named Pirate Radio. Hello. Joan Ball was asked to produce commercials for a dating service called Telepersonals. You would create a profile using Your voice and people could listen to other profiles in different categories using prompts on their telephones. Unlike a computer dating service, telepersonals let you decide on a potential match.

[Norm]

You can spend your entire life looking for the perfect woman and a big how do you do? To you, ma' am. Hello. Are you looking for a man who likes classical music, walking in the rain, candlelight brunches with seasonal fruit and too hanky romance movies? No, of course you're not. Obviously, I was looking for love in all the wrong places. Excuse me.

[Kristen]

Yes?

[Norm]

I've noticed you've been staring at me. Is there something you want to ask?

[Kristen]

Yes, there is.

[Norm]

Don't hold back.

[Kristen]

Would you like fries with your order?

[Norm]

Fortunately, I call telepersonals an exciting way of meeting new and exciting people like myself. With over 2000 personal ads from people looking for long term or casual relationships, it's free to listen to ads 24 hours a day. And connecting with someone by leaving a message in their voice mailbox costs less than a beer. Here's my message. Hi, this is Norm. I'm a man. If you're not, call me. Not only did I get responses, I was able to pick and choose.

[Kristen]

Hi, this is Daphne. I like walks in the rain.

[Norm]

Yes. No, maybe.

[Kristen]

This is Donna. I like candlelight brunches with seasonal fruit.

[Norm]

Rain check.

[Kristen]

Hi, this is Brandy. I like body painting. Call me.

[Norm]

I'm in love. It's that simple.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Connect with teleperson with the arrival of the Internet, the world of computer dating changed forever. But it would take a certain movie to normalize the idea of online dating.

[Kristen]

I turn on my computer, I go online.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Welcome.

[Kristen]

And my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words.

[Terry O'Reilly]

You've got mail. The movie was you've got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. In the film, they meet in a chat room and start messaging each other. They realize they have a chemistry and eventually develop enough trust to meet in person. It wasn't online dating per se, but it did show people that finding a partner on the Internet was indeed possible. You've Got Mail is credited with removing the stigma from online dating. With the stigma of online dating removed, digital technology kicked open the doors to the dating industry. Way back in 1994, when only 5% of the public had Internet access, a company called Match.com was born. The idea for Match.com came from the frustration the founder experienced when he was looking for a date. He was paying $2.99aminute on a 1900 telephone dating service. Then it occurred to him that he could create an online database of personal classified ads and could do it quicker, anonymously and at a much lower cost. Match.com went live one year later and was one of the first dating services to launch on the web. The site offered a number of interesting features. First, unlike Operation Match that was geared towards men, match.com was promoted as safe and welcoming to women. It let you quietly browse people's profiles. Match.com also gave its members anonymous email addresses that forwarded to their real accounts, which was a big draw for women. It quickly became one of the biggest and most successful dating sites on the web and still is today. Match.com does some very interesting marketing. A recent series of ads was one of my favorite advertising campaigns. Last year, actor Ryan Reynolds marketing company Maximum Effort created the ads. Now why did Reynolds create those ads? Because Ryan Reynolds sits on the board of match.com his idea was very funny. It was called A match made in Hell. In the first commercial, a bored looking Satan gets an alert on his smartphone. He's matched to someone. On match.com Satan meets his match under a bridge on a rainy day.

[Kristen]

Satan. Hi 2020. Please call me 2020.

[Terry O'Reilly]

The attractive woman he meets personifies the year 2020, which was of course one of the worst years in history because of the pandemic. We see Satan and 2020 having a picnic in a deserted football stadium. We see them working out in an empty fitness gym. We see them enjoying a movie in an empty movie theater. We see them stealing toilet paper from public washrooms. And we see them taking a selfie in front of a dumpster fire. As the commercial ends, Satan says, I just don't want this year to end.

[Kristen]

Who would?

[Terry O'Reilly]

Then the Match.com logo appears with the words Make 2021 you1 Year. It was very well done, very funny, written and produced by Ryan Reynolds himself. There was one other interesting aspect to the commercial. Ryan got his friend Taylor Swift to let him use her hit song Love Story. As of this writing, the commercial has 11.8 million views.

[Kristen]

Oh, I've dated much worse guys than him. Much worse. I mean, at least he's famous.

[Terry O'Reilly]

In the follow up testimonial ad, Satan and the year 2020 talk about their perfect match.

[Kristen]

I started by using the Match custom search filter.

[Terry O'Reilly]

I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper and reason.

[Kristen]

Boom.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Satan and 2020 can't take their eyes off each other.

[Kristen]

She gets me.

[Terry O'Reilly]

That's the best part. When you meet someone that takes time.

[Kristen]

To see beneath the surface of the earth. It's just a perfect match.

[Terry O'Reilly]

That ad has almost 7 million views. A number of years ago, I was directing a commercial that starred a sitcom actress. Between takes, she told me she had a new love in her life and she was very happy. When I asked her how they met, she said in an online dating site. That was surprising to me. I just never for a moment thought that a Hollywood celebrity would need a dating site to meet people. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Dating, especially later in life, is no picnic, celebrity or not. Which explains why millions of people turn to dating sites to help them meet people. As a result, there are numerous specialty dating sites. There is a Christian mingle dating site. There is farmersonly.com for rural matchmaking. There is pursonals.com spelled P U R R Sonnels a dating site for people who love cats. There is a site called bristler.com a dating site for men with beards and those who want to stroke those beards. There is a site called paranormaldate.com for people who share a fascination of strange unknown forces. If you have a love of the sea, there is a site called SeaCaptainDate.com where you can find your first mate. For those who like to be one toke over the line, there is a site called my420mate.com and until recently, if you were looking for a soul mate with orange hair, a bright red nose and oversized shoes, there was a site called clowndating.com slogan everybody loves a clown, Let a clown love you. I have to roll that one around for a minute. We'll be right back.

[Adam Grant]

Now at Verizon we have some big news for your peace of mind for all our customers existing and new, we're locking in low prices for three guaranteed on MyPlan and my home. That's future you peace of mind and everyone can save on a brand new phone on MyPlan. When you trade in any phone from one of our top brands, that's new phone Peace of mind. Because at Verizon, whether you're already a customer or you're just joining us, we got you. Visit Verizon today. Price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate. Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

[Terry O'Reilly]

If you work as a manufacturing facilities engineer, installing a new piece of equipment can be as complex as the machinery itself. From prep work to alignment and testing, it's your team's job to put it all together. That's why it's good to have Grainger on your side. With industrial grade products and next day delivery, Grainger helps ensure you have everything you need close at hand through every step of the installation. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Kristen]

BetterHelp Online Therapy bought this 30 second ad to remind you right now, wherever you are, to unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in and out. Feels better, right? That's 15 seconds of self care. Imagine what you could do with more visit betterhelp.com randompodcast for 10% off your first month of therapy. No pressure, just help. But for now, just relax.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Approximately 1 in 10 people have used an online dating service. There's something for everyone, no matter what your preference. The online dating industry is valued at over $3 billion in Canada and the US and is worth close to $7 billion globally. With smartphones, dating sites became mobile apps, and with apps the field opened further. Enter Tinder the name Tinder came from the notion of creating a spark. The original name was Matchbox and the I in the Tinder logo is a lit match. The founders of Tinder had an idea. They wanted to make their dating app function like a game. First, Tinder only exists on smartphones. The most identifiable aspect of Tinder is the swipe. Users see a photo and a profile of people nearby and either swipe right for a like or or swipe left for a nope. That swiping idea came to one of the founders one morning when he stepped out of the shower. His mirror was fogged up, so he swiped left and right to see his face. In that moment, the iconic Tinder swipe was born. The way a potential match happens on Tinder is when two people right swipe each other. The mutual like then prompts you to either send a message or keep playing. The keep playing phrase underscores the game nature of the dating app. It imports your profile from Facebook, and users can play it in short bursts whether they're looking for a date or not. Some of its advertising suggests, in no uncertain terms, that Tinder is often used for quick hookups, not long term relationships. In this commercial, we see a college aged couple on a date and they seem to have a lot in common.

[Kristen]

Why do tomatoes keep trying to convince.

[Adam Grant]

Us that they're a fruit and not a vegetable?

[Terry O'Reilly]

Why? I know.

[Adam Grant]

It's like they know they're not a.

[Kristen]

Fruit so they try extra hard to fit in with other fruits. Ugh, it's embarrassing. Like I'm actually embarrassed for tomatoes.

[Terry O'Reilly]

They think they can somehow trick us.

[Kristen]

By calling themselves like grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry Tomato. Like, who are they kidding? I mean, you're not a fruit.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Just be yourself.

[Kristen]

I'll be right back.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Then the gal excuses herself from the table. While she's gone, the guy gets a Tinder match alert. He decides to quietly sneak off from his date, but then inadvertently bumps into her at the door, and they realize they are both ghosting each other to make a quick Tinder hookup with other folks. In another commercial, a man finds a sketchbook on the ground that says Property of Veronica. He reads it on the subway, he reads it at the gym, he reads it at home. And becomes more and more infatuated with this mysterious Veronica. Then he realizes something. She has drawn a picture of a beautiful building in the city, and he knows where it is. He goes to the building, and sitting there on a park bench is a woman. He sits beside her and asks, are you Veronica? As he hands her the sketchbook, she says, oh, my God. Next we see the new couple sitting across from some friends at a restaurant. One friend says, that is the most romantic story ever. Then the other friend says, I do.

[Kristen]

Not believe a word of that. It's true.

[Terry O'Reilly]

It's 100% true. Come on.

[Kristen]

Would we lie to you?

[Terry O'Reilly]

But it's the last frame that delivers the message. It says, tinder. Tell whatever story you want. The commercial appears to tell Tinder users that it's okay to fib on the app. Quick hookups, fast swipes, and license to make up your story on Tinder. It truly does treat dating like a game. Well, it's working for Tinder. Launched in 2012, Tinder users made over 1 billion swipes in just the first 17 months. In 2020, there were over 66 million Tinder users, and 6.7 million of them pay for special subscriber benefits, like skip the line where your profile can be at the top of the list in your neighborhood for 30 minutes. Revenue in 2020 was $1.4 billion. There is another dating app that has an interesting marketing angle. It's called Hinge. It builds itself as the dating app designed to be deleted, meaning it will help you find your soulmate. Then you can dump the app. The founder of Hinge, Jordan Macleod, was a Harvard student who had lost the love of his life due to his drinking problem. So he didn't like to go to bars to meet people now that he was sober. So he decided to create a dating app for people like him. He managed to raise some seed money, but building an app is an expensive proposition. He and his developers were quickly running out of money. Money. So McLeod decided to throw a Hail Mary pass. He wanted to take the company's last $25,000 and throw a big launch party. They were just waiting for the Apple App Store to accept Hinge's application. But days before the party, Apple rejected the application. It was devastating news, and most of the party money had already been spent. McLeod began to panic. He was throwing a huge launch party without an app to launch. Then, the morning of the big party, Apple sent an email saying it had accepted Hinge. That evening, thousands of guests partied alongside DJs and enjoyed food and drink. The day after the party, Hinge was all the rage. The dating app employs a funny advertising strategy. It has a mascot named Hingy, which is a furry version of the app icon. In all the commercials, Hingey is killed, playing off the theme that Hinge is the app that is designed to be deleted.

[Kristen]

Because when our users hit it off, we bite the dust and we're thrilled to death about it. Hinge, the dating app designed to be deleted.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Hinge says it wants people to root for Hingey's demise. The dating app even put up a billboard and encouraged people to vandalize it. A wink to Hinge's goal of getting deleted. As a direct result of the designed to be deleted advertising campaign, Hinge downloads jumped by 45%. The site got a big bump when it was revealed that presidential nominee Pete Buttigieg used Hinge to find his husband. Hinge now has over 5.5 million users and revenues over $5 million. And here's a lovely PS launching hinge helped Jordan McLeod get over his heartbreak. One day he was being interviewed by a journalist who told him that she, too, had lost the love of her life and regretted that it was now too late to rekindle that relationship. MacLeod took that story to heart, then took action. He flew to Switzerland, where his old love was now living and working. It had been seven years, and she was to be married in one one month's time. But she agreed to meet him for a coffee. Within a few days, the wedding was off and she and McLoud were back together, proving once again that love hinges on taking chances. It's hard to contemplate the impact of dating sites. Eharmony claims it is responsible for 80,000 marriages annually, and that someone finds love on the site every 14 minutes. Match.com alone has introduced more than 10 million couples who have then gone on to have millions of babies. Selling love or lust is a fascinating challenge. Do you make it romantic? Do you make it quick? Do you make it meaningful? Or do you make it a game? The answer appears to be yes. There is a dating site for just about Everybody out there. Match.com is now the 800 pound cupid in the dating industry, having gobbled up nearly two dozen dating sites including Tinder and Hinge. It enjoyed revenue of just over $2 billion last year. Because Love in the time of COVID has made online dating surge, pandemic or not, there will always be people searching for their other half, searching for that special person to complete them. And in that search, there is money to be made when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Tear Stream Mobile Recording studio producer Debbie O'Reilly sound engineer Jeff Devine Theme music by Ari Prince Posner and Ian LeFever research Abby Forsythe if you liked this episode, you might also like put it between your knees and squeeze Marketing a Fad Season 7 Episode 1. You'll find it in our archives. Wherever you listen to podcasts, follow me on Twitter and Instagram errioinfluence. See you next week.

[Kristen]

Fun Joan Ball, who pioneered matchmaking Never.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Married.

[Adam Grant]

Hi, I'm Adam Grant, host of the podcast Work Life. For over 20 years, Paylocity has been simplifying work with innovative solutions that teams love, like On Demand payment, which offers employees access to wages prior to payday, flexible time tracking features which enable staff to clock in and out through their mobile device, and numerous other cutting edge solutions that simplify collaboration across hr, finance and it. Learn more about how Paylocity can help streamline work and enhance business outcomes for your [e-mail] simplified location the lab Quentin.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Only has 24 hours to sell his car. Is that even possible?

[Kristen]

He goes to Carvana.com what is this, a movie trailer?

[Terry O'Reilly]

He ignores the doubters, enters his license plate. Wow, that's a great offer. The car is sold, but will Carvana pick it up in time for it?

[Kristen]

They'll literally pick it up tomorrow morning. Done with the dramatics.

[Terry O'Reilly]

Car selling in record time.

[Kristen]

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