MATCH made

Making a connection with someone and then getting them to buy me a drink, let alone get a date is clearly no small feat, given my current single state. Can't just sit around the house and do nothing. Time to formulate a plan. Fortuitiously, I've also been mulling over a parrallel dilemna of brands coping to make connections in an increasingly complex, digitalised and fractured world... so I get to knock off two birds with one stone with this investigation.

Firstly, I need to optimise the laws of probability and go where the most lads are hanging out. It's a game of odds as there are a LOT of other single girls after a limited number of single lads. Not just any location, but one where I can actually connect or interact with potential prospects - looking from afar may get me motivated but certainly isn't going to get me a date. Brands have historically managed their matchmaking from afar, advertising on the catwalk of life, but rarely getting up close enough to be able to anything other than create Desire and Want. Great attributes but you can't cuddle them at night. Hanging out at an interactively engaged, highest traffic location is just plain common sense - fast tracking the entire matchmaking process and ultimately a lot more cost effective (than say Speed dating, singles cooking classes or Business Round Table (that helpful suggestion came from my Father)

Digital portals are the new black in media-led matchmaking - where audiences are aggregated en masse around an interactive experience and brands can reach out and touch prospects... not in a seedy way, of course.

But interactive and volume environment alone does not make matchmaking heaven. Volume connections can be made, but it takes alot of trial and error to get to the value connection. Certainly if my dabbling in online dating is anything to go by. One date involved a chap who's photo was hot, credentials impeccable and personality perfect... but reality told a different story. He lied about his entrepreneurial background, was a emergency exit light-bulb changer and one step away from penitentiary life. It's an odds game that takes a lot of patience. Brands, you go forth equally blindfolded when you let any part of your media mix be just a numbers game. Relevancy adds huge value and focus to a campaign- offline and online.

Strong relevancy connections are made in an enivronment where interests, profile or levels of engagement are most likely to correlate with yours. Now I'm no spring chicken (as pointed out by our Commercial Director the other day in a meeting), so every encounter counts (much like every ad dollar spent). The closer the alignment to me and my interests, then the higher propensity for engaging in decent conversation and maybe even the start of a little lovin'. It's basic rules of engagement.


Now having established the best volume, interactively engaged and relevancy environment. ... then it's time for the creative to do its magic . Or in my case, by putting myself in the right environment for finding love (well a date will suffice) and I've optimised the odds. Then it's up to me to Attract, turn that into potential Interest, hopefully ignite some Desire and then Activate the right chap into action. Successful matchmaking is a magical mix of both premium environment (that ticks all the boxes) and cut-through creative. One without the other doesn't do it

It's not exactly Beatles lyrics, but it works. Will keep you posted to prove it!