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How to market to a singleton?

Posted in Marketing, Digital, Mel Varley, Latest reporters' blogs September 25th, 2007 by Melinda Varley

To add to the list of ‘fake holidays’ for the purpose of marketing is new entrant National Dating Day (24 September), but don’t rush to the store for the cards and cheap chocolate, just log on to a dating site.

The day, which I am almost sure that no one knew existed, saw online dating site DatingDirect.com install a cube installation at Waterloo Station yesterday morning filled with ‘hot sexy’ singles including celebrities Bianca Gascoigne and Jeff Brazier and single models.

After seeing this, I had to wonder where on any dating site can these ‘hot’ singles be found?

It seems to me that most dating sites attract people that don’t exactly look like page three girls or football male-model hunks. If they did I would’ve extended my membership beyond the free trial.

However, the day also sets out to encourage ‘sexy singles’ to embrace being single and enjoy everything the dating scene has to offer.

So what does the dating scene have to offer? For one it’s a brilliant market for advertisers. Some 15 million singles are the majority consumers of Roses chocolates, Blockbuster Video cards and vodka.

We lead a life of solitude and disappointment and most of the ads that should be targeted at us and our disposable incomes feature happy couples or incredibly good looking people that needn’t worry about being single for too long.

Is it just me or is all the ‘singleton’ targeted advertising about online dating? It’s the only thing the marketing world pushes on us, with the exception of cat food. It implies that if you’re single you should do something about it. It also gives us false hope that by joining online dating sites we will end up being in a couple that looks like the fake photo that comes with new photo frames.

For something that used to be so taboo, why are we all of a sudden inundated with ads for dating and are being made to feel like to be happy we must be part of a good looking couple?