Changing Times, Changing Strategies

Well, it's been almost six months since I've been back on eHarmony. And, even though my new matches come slowly... I think it's time that I can evaluate how things have been going.

Well, they haven't gone that bad. I've met some interesting folks. And been on my first date with an emmy-winning actress. I have a few "rejects" who keep trying to contact me. A lot of guys would kill to have my problems, I suppose.

But... it hasn't gone as well as it has in the past. And, in my thought, I came up with a pretty good theory as to why.

eHarmony has always depended on advertising to drive new matches into the system. Since I don't watch too much television, and use my Tivo to skip commercials, I've missed some VERY important changes in their advertising strategy.

When I started the process of developing the system, eHarmony advertising was a little different from what it is now. During that time, advertising centered around Dr. Warren's promise that, by using the service, you'd find the "love of your life", and if you'd follow his wise advice, you'd have a happy, wonderful marriage. And the newsletters constantly reinforced that if you didn't stick with the program, you'd be stuck in dead-end, unhappy relationships forever.

So, communication was a pretty big deal. You were constantly being reminded that you were communicating with the person you might marry. So, heavy-handed defensiveness was a part of the culture. And, people accepted Dr. Warren's "fantasy world" of guided communication as a safe place where you could ask hard questions... but transition into a "normal" conversation afterwards.

And my system was calibrated to that culture.

Fast-forward a year, and the marketing message has changed in some interesting ways.

Television advertisements give a constant parade of happy couples... but don't mention marriage anymore. On the website, you have to dig pretty far before the possibility of marriage is mentioned.

That releases a lot of pressure. And a lot of the testiness that was necessary in the old system.

Furthermore, instead of focusing on the hard process of "getting to know each other" through guided communication (and the risks of failing to listen to the ever-so-wise Dr. Warren), the advertisements emphasize an easy chemistry because of the strength of people's compatability. To a point where you don't even NEED to sell yourself in the profile.

Finally, in a more recent development, they're starting to deemphasize the need for guided communication. Granted, they're doing this in the hope that people will spend money on SecureCall - but it's another big shift in the making.

So, yes, they're still overselling. But they're overselling in a different way now. And, in retrospect, the harshness of some aspects of the current system may run against the new culture that eHarmony is promoting.

So... the system must change too. It's not bad now... but it can get better.

And I'm excited about that. You'll see a lot of new things coming soon.

As for the "War Statistics" - we'll hold off on those. I'm doing some pretty wild experiments right now - my statistics won't tell much of a story until the dust settles.

But I've got some interesting developments coming.

Including one "from the labs" finding tomorrow. And let me tell you, it has the potential to be big.