Today is exactly twelve months after the launch of Compatible Partners, the website opened by eHarmony because of its settlement of a discrimination complaint with the New Jersey Attorney General. To get themselves out of the lawsuit, eHarmony made several long-term promises and commitments to the state government of New Jersey,
We have made the commitment to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office that we will put our business effort behind the new site to make it successful.
and today is a great time to review what the company, who made $250 million in revenues in 2009, has done so far.
Product Offering
The company also agrees to ensure that same-sex users are matched via the same or equivalent technology as that used for heterosexual match-seekers, agrees to charge same-sex users the same fees, and agrees to offer the same service quality and terms of service as heterosexuals.
| Products Offered | EH | CP |
|---|---|---|
| Matching technology |  |
|
| Premium Services products | |
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| New profile layout | |
|
| Basic Plan fee structure, same fees | |
|
| Total Connect Plan fee structure | |
 |
| “Something to Talk About” feature | |
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| Gift cards | |
|
| Support to become successful in the service | EH | CP |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and email support | |
|
| Support agents with customer’s sexual orientation | |
|
| Dating and relationship advice articles | |
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| Dating and relationship advice newsletter | |
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| Dating and relationship advice discussion forum | |
|
The Compatible Partners phone number is 1-800-673-3548, separate.
Advertising Efforts
eHarmony, Inc. will include photos of same-sex couples, as well as individual same-sex users, in advertising materials used to promote its same-sex matching services
eHarmony will market the new site in gay and lesbian media outlets.
| Photos in advertising materials | EH | CP |
|---|---|---|
| Photos of people, anybody | |
|
| Photos of successful couples | |
|
| Photos of couples, facing the camera | |
|
| Photos of couples that are actual users | |
|
| Photos of actual users | |
|
| Marketing Efforts | EH | CP |
|---|---|---|
| Promotional codes | |
|
| Free communication weekends | |
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| TV Game Show (Takei and Altman) | |
|
| TV ads | |
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| Print ads | |
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| Online ads | |
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| Official Facebook page (EH/CP) | |
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| Sponsored Link ads when one Googles the name of site | |
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| Twitter account with a tweet within the last 11 months | |
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| Online affiliate marketing program | |
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| Tie-ups, e.g, with AOL, Comcast, Yahoo! | |
|
Research and Development Efforts
We’ll be increasing our knowledge about same-sex relationships and the nuances of how they are similar to and different from opposite-sex relationships.
| EH | CP | |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing laboratory studies on couples | |
|
| Paying couples to participate in studies | |
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| On-staff PhDs that specialize on customer’s sexual orientation | |
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| On-staff researchers that specialize on customer’s sexual orientation | |
|
Public Relations Efforts
The company has committed to advertising and public relations/ marketing dedicated to its same-sex matching service, and will retain a media consultant experienced in promoting the “fair, accurate and inclusive” representation of gay and lesbian people in the media to determine the most effective way of reaching the gay and lesbian communities.
| EH | CP | |
|---|---|---|
| Public relations specialist/consultant | |
|
| Is the consultant on staff? | |
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| Has the consultant done anything in the last 11 months? | |
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| Is the site mentioned in corporate “About Us” pages? | |
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| Is the site mentioned in media interviews? | |
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| Is the site mentioned in press releases? (Exactly once) | |
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| Is the site mentioned in corporate blog? | |
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After 4 years of disregard, eHarmony closed eHarmony Marriage. Compatible Partners will be next.
Last March 11, eHarmony quietly shut down eHarmony Marriage (full story). Offering an online alternative to marriage counseling was an innovative idea, but the company’s then-new VC shareholders decided to give it the exact business effort it is now giving Compatible Partners. In a nutshell, nada. In a nutshell, the homepage sent visitors to eHarmony Marriage should they happen to click “Married” or “Separated” instead of “Single”.
Advertising efforts? Product Development effort? Public Relations effort? Zero, zip, zilch.
There is one inescapable difference between Compatible Partners and eHarmony Marriage though: A New Jersey Court Order.
I wonder if someone can sue somebody for court order non-compliance.
What score will you give eHarmony? How is it doing in its promises?
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