42. OkCupid Stays On Target During the Covid Pandemic: PR Messaging and Online Dating Apps

Lead Balloon - Public Relations, Marketing and Strategic Communications Stories

When the unstoppable force of online dating met the immovable object of global pandemic social distancing, there was no road map for what would come next.

Michael Kaye is the director of brand and communications for the online dating app OkCupid. And, in the early days of the Covid lockdown, he and his team faced decisions that weighed on no less than the continued existence of the company.

After all, what is a stay-at-home order if not an existential threat to a company whose customers want to get matched up with new people to meet and date?

Facing this and other previously unthinkable realities in 2020, Michael and his team made the bold decision to retool their messaging—and indeed their core operating strategies—to embrace social responsibility over conventional profit.

It was a calculated risk that panned out in the long run, as we'll learn from Michael and a pair of OkCupid users—Lauren Stines and Jake Sandvik—who each have their own stories of love finding a way, even in the midst of global crisis.

Special thanks to London indie musician Garlen Lo for sharing his song, "Lover's Lover" for this episode! Visit www.garlenlo.com to learn more.

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