🍆 Plenty of Fish Runs A D*ck Pic Campaign (with a twist)

This is The Level Ups. Modern business news for the future business leader (in plain-Jane English). 

Today:

• Plenty of Fish (POF) goes wild with new campaign

• It’s all part of a bigger play to make the app relevant again.

• The example POF is trying to follow.

Let’s get into it.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes & 8 seconds. 

Plenty of Fish Runs Wild New Campaign

It’s all about “dick” pics, but it’s not what you think. They’re all pictures of guys name Richard, Dick, Dickie, and so on.

I was shocked for a second too.

That’s the point. It’s clearly a play to capture and use attention. Will give them credit, though. It seems well received so far.

The campaign aims to bring awareness to a big problem in online dating: unsolicited pictures of men’s penises. 56% of women on apps have reported receiving such pics.

The team has created a virtual museum with all the pictures in an immersive environment. There are sections dedicated to “hairy,” “big,” etc. (photos of men, not penises).

Worth checking out if the name doesn’t offend you. It’s a 360° experience in the web browser. This probably doesn’t offend their target audience, which is why it’s smart on POF’s part.

Credit to LNG Studios and 123w for the execution. I was once a sales rep at LNG, closing deals for solutions just like this. My experience with the company aside, this was well done.

Part of A Greater Play to Bring POF Back to Life

POF has tough competition. In a world with Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble, POF is no longer a go-to app. For example, it’s last on this list.

But they’re pushing to become relevant again (they used to be number 1).

Here’s some of what they’ve done so far.

A New Brand:

While everyone calls it a “brand refresh,” it’s more accurate to call it a new look.

It’s a more modern colour scheme and app interface.

In a world where everything is judged by looks (especially on dating apps, let's be honest), the app needs to look good. This does the job.

Online Game:

It’s called “Cue’d Up,” and it’s a way for singles to socialize in groups of 6 before “matching” with each other.

It makes sense to add this. Here’s why:

• 55% of singles report stressing over sending the first message.

• 50% report anxiousness about trying to impress the other person.

• 48% report shyness for the same.

More details here.

Whatever you might think about the pics, POF seems to know their audience.

Online experiences must be entertaining enough to capture (and keep) attention. Smart addition.

Becoming Relevant:

This is the greater challenge and why POF is putting forward so many new initiatives around the same time.

It’s one thing to be the new startup that’s taking over. It’s harder to be the old player trying to become relevant again.

With so many new apps coming forward and succeeding, it’s hard to change an already-made impression.

First impressions are so important, and old ones are hard to change.

The good news is that it’s possible and has been done before.

How Old Spice Came Back to Life:

Old Spice has been relevant since the 1930s, but couldn’t keep it up through the 70s, all the way up until 2008. Why then?

Remember this commercial? It was the start of their great revival.

Some of you may be too young to remember this, but it was big when it was released and won awards.

POF is taking a page out of their book.

Most people don’t know that Old Spice did much more than release a commercial.

Here’s the summary:

• They went young: targeting teenagers in school who hadn’t chosen their brand yet.

• Gave away free samples of their “High Endurance” line to kids in 90% of the 5th-grade health classes in America.

• Niched into sports crowd, connecting products and athletic performance.

• Hustled hard. Sent reps with promo swag to high-school games and skate-park events.

• They expanded their product lines to include a suite of washes and sprays.

Old Spice also came out with a new look around the same time.

Are you telling me an online interactive museum of “dick” pics isn’t aimed at younger singles? Of course it is. And it’s brilliant.

What’s Next For POF:

It’s about how well they can ride this momentum with a good customer experience in the app.

Hype is nice, but it doesn’t translate into profit unless the customers who try the app again actually enjoy it.

Time will tell! Can’t wait to see how this plays out.

Thanks for reading!

See you tomorrow,

Darwin