(Online Dating Industry Journal) Regarded as the largest online dating service, Match.com achieves its success not only through millions in advertising and a strong affiliate program, but also through lucrative strategic cobranded partnerships that expand its reach.
To date, Match.com's biggest cobranded partnerships include:
> AOL in the United States and Japan
> MSN across Europe, Asia and the United States
> Comcast Broadband
> Excite/iWon
> BET Interactive
> Tiscali (France, Spain and Italy)
> Wanadoo (Spain), and T-online in Germany.
These partners get to name their own dating service (i.e. "Comcast Dating & Personals") while displaying the "Powered by Match.com" message.
Some of these partnerships are extremely lucrative for both Match.com and its partners. For example, MSN Dating & Personals attracts more than 4 million visitors a month, even though it's a Match.com cobranded venture.
The result is that more than 250,000 people a year notify Match.com (or a cobranded partner) that they've found the person they were looking for on its service. More than 200 people a month marry as a result of meeting on Match.com. The number, however, is much higher as the 200 a month are only people who notified Match.com of their marriage.
Joe's Comments:
Strategic cobranded partnerships can really help an online dating service soar. In Europe, traffic ranks will often show Match.com at the #1 spot and one of its partners (like MSN) in the #2 spot out of all online dating services. These partnerships are very lucrative for both parties. It makes me wonder why more niche sites don't use co-branded agreements and partnerships to help them grow in their niche area. If you're a large pet lovers dating service, a co-branded partnership with larger pet stores could easily quadruple the userbase.
Of course, other big names in the industry have lucrative partnerships too. Disney/ABC's Go.com is powered by PerfectMatch.
For Discussion:
Markus (PlentyofFish.com), how would you cobrand (and maybe you already do) your free online dating service? What would be the benefit to the partner - split in ad revenue?
Sam (ChristianCafe.com), does ChristianCafe have cobranded partnerships?
I will never co-brand. To much headache, i'd rather just run the site all by myself without any contracts or tie-ups with other companies. I don't want partners or employees and i want the freedom and agility that i enjoy currently.
Posted by: Markus | April 17, 2006 at 08:36 PM
Yes, we do co-brand, although not nearly as much as I would like. We were a little late to the game on this one.
Posted by: Sam Moorcroft, ChristianCafe.com | April 18, 2006 at 11:04 PM