Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to highlight a company that has recently changed its strategy and identifies the reasons for the change in the strategy for the company. For this paper, the article that has been selected is from the Marketing News titled ‘Match.com shifts strategy in the face of competition’. The article was published in March 2008 and provides the shift of the strategy for the company about its media planning and marketing function.
About the company
Match.com is a company conducting its business activities online on the internet. Match.com is an online dating website that provides services to its customers about enabling them to make their profiles on the internet and connect with other people who are interested in going out for a date. The company is the largest online dating service provider with a significant 20 million members of which 1.3 million are paying customers of the company. Match.com was initiated in 1995 and since then has evolved considerably according to the changes taking place in its users and their requirements. The website is now present in customized formats for 35 countries with content published in over 18 languages. The website is owned by InterActiveCorp which is a group of internet business-based companies.
The company has been operating in a competitive environment with other similar sites offering similar services like the DatingDirect in the UK and the personal dating options and portals provided by large internet companies like Yahoo and MSN. Aside from this, the company is also facing increased pressures from community-based online forums and web listings like Facebook and MySpace. In the face of this competition as well as the changes taking place in the industry and the changing requirements of the customers, Match.com has changed its strategy for marketing by heavily indulging in above the line (ATL) strategies and activities.
The previous marketing strategy that was adopted by the company pertained to advertising on the internet on different forums, websites as well as through search engine optimization. Moreover, the company was also trying to create a live experience for an offline activity for its members. The company as a result sought to advertise on television as well through the radio and the outdoor medium. The company offered successful couples who met through match.com to come on TV during peak airing times. This built the reputation and the integrity of the brand for match.com aside from this money shot based live campaigns were launched to support the advertising and marketing activities of the company. However, due to extensive competition in the market, on television as well as on the internet the company has had to rethink its marketing strategy. Instead, now the company is going for a more proactive and planned marketing strategy.
The new strategy
The new strategy for the company is to extensively invest millions in media planning for its new marketing strategy and promote online dating as a more socially acceptable form of dating than it has been till now. Aside from this, the company is also focusing on extensively advertising on the ATL medium to launch its new campaign and change the image of the company in the market. “Observers say the move is indicative of an industry aiming for the mainstream and expects rivals to follow suit. The initiative was appointed to the brief, replacing M2M, following a four-way pitch, and follows the promotion of marketing director Jason Stockwood to managing director in January this year. Stockwood was also appointed as marketing director last year to oversee a shift in strategy, including an increased advertising budget and a greater focus on above-the-line advertising.” (O’Flaherty, 2008) Through the analysis of the strategy for match.com is a result of careful planning and proactive thinking instead of simply an emergency response to competition. Moreover, the company is also investing in making online dating exclusive by getting new customers through an invite-only process.
References
O’Flaherty, K., ‘Match.com shifts strategy in the face of competition’, Marketing Week, 2008, Vol. 31 Issue 12, p9-9, 2/3p, Web.