An internet match made in heaven

Brand Building
eHarmony.com is geared to an audience of marriage-ready singles who have had little success with other dating techniques. By using this service, the commercials will have you believe, you can find the love of your life much faster than you would by waiting in a bar. In fact, eHarmony claims “more marriages per match than any Online Dating Personals Service.”

eHarmony’s brand is so strong, it has spawned a few imitators, or at least people who wish to piggyback on the success of the company’s brand. Two other sites, e-Harmony.com and Harmonysingles.net, which actually uses the eHarmony logo and the words eHarmony.com across the top of the homepage.

Advertising strategies
In 2004, eHarmony launched a new ad campaign featuring users of the site who had found true love. The TV ads show different couples with their names and the date they were married. They also stress the difference between eHarmony and other online dating services. The people in the commercials say they like it because it’s not competitive and you don’t have to present yourself through a witty paragraph “for all the world to see.”

"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" sung by Natalie Cole plays in the background of the latest ads. The founder, Dr. Neal Clark Warren appears and tells you why eHarmony is better than all the rest. “At eHarmony we know that the secret to magical moments like these is based on matching the very deepest dimensions of compatibility,” he says. “So that when you fall in love, you know it has the depth and richness to last a lifetime.” He claims that he has identified the 29 “deep” dimensions that determine compatibility. If you’ve been disappointed by other online dating sites, eHarmony is the one for you, he says.

“I was just smitten right then and there. That was the moment,” says Ben.

Multiplatform approach
Donat/Wald handles eHarmony’s TV, print and web advertising. According to its website, the company specializes in brand building and direct response advertising. The company boasts its “multiplatform approach,” of TV, print and web advertising. The site claims that its advertising has propelled eHarmony to the top of the list for marriage-minded singles. With more than 6 million clients, it says, eHarmony has become one of America’s fastest growing brands.

Online strategies
In November, eHarmony teamed with Gannett, the owner of USA Today and other major papers nationwide, to localize their online personal service.
USAtoday.com features eHarmony at the top of its menu bars, above the USA Today logo. If you click on the link, it will take you to a page to set up your own FREE Personality Profile. The page even contains a cute little photo of Jill and Doug, engaged September 5, 2003.

Room for improvement
Though the partnership with USAtoday.com was brilliant, eHarmony could do more to connect with their core audience: young singles hoping to settle down. Since these are the people least likely to read the newspaper (young people, that is), there may be better ways to reach their audience. Here are some suggestions:

• advertise on popular web-based email servers, like Hotmail or Yahoo.
• advertise at bars, where single people can grow frustrated (according to their ads).
• advertise on buses, subways and trains.
• advertise in magazines – I think 20 and 30-somethings are more likely to pick up a magazine than a newspaper.
• Listen to criticisms.