Knowledge-driven storytelling is on the coronary heart of profitable buyer love. However like Cupid’s arrow, it could both be a success or an costly miss.
That can assist you craft the proper love story between information storytelling and model, we interviewed Michael Kaye, OkCupid and ARCHER’s director of name advertising and marketing & communications. Michael is a communications strategist and purpose-driven marketer acknowledged by Enterprise Insider as a Prime Tech PR Professional, PR Web’s Marcomms Most Influential, PRWeek’s 40 Beneath 40, and a Ragan Sport Changer.
Dive in for a wealth of sensible takeaways about fostering model authenticity, amplifying queer illustration, and standing out from the competitors. Michael additionally shares some golden nuggets on sturdy localization and profitable model collaboration.
This interview is a part of G2’s Skilled Highlight collection. For extra content material like this, subscribe to G2 Tea, a e-newsletter with SaaS-y information and leisure.
Heat-up questions
What’s your favourite beverage?
An espresso martini.
What was your first job?
I used to be a camp counselor. I spent my childhood attending day camps, and in highschool, I turned a counselor in coaching (CIT). I continued as a camp counselor all through highschool and faculty, primarily working with boys within the first and second grades.
What’s your favourite software program in your present tech stack?
At present, ChatGPT is the one which has remodeled my workflow. Though I could be a little bit of a late adopter, it has been invaluable. For my e-newsletter, Blurring The Traces, I conduct stay interviews, report the audio, after which convert it right into a transcript. Utilizing ChatGPT to scrub up the transcripts by eradicating filler phrases and repetitive content material has saved me numerous hours every week. It is actually been a lifesaver.
What issues at work make you need to throw your laptop computer out the window?
I haven’t confronted this challenge just lately, however a serious frustration comes from my communications background, notably when coping with storytelling alongside journalists. It is exasperating when headlines do not match the narrative we meant or after they’re overly unfavourable, but such issues typically lie past my management. As somebody who likes to have management over each facet, these conditions will be fairly difficult.
Deep dives with Michael Kaye
Are you able to inform us about your journey of changing into a model advertising and marketing and communications chief for ARCHER and OkCupid?
Completely. I have been on this business for about 10 years. I began with 5 years at varied communications companies, working with shoppers throughout various sectors like world tech platforms, shopper items, fast service eating places, and leisure methods. In 2019, I joined Match Group to guide PR for OkCupid within the U.S., which rapidly became a world position. I launched the model in nations like Australia, Germany, Israel, Turkey, and the UK.
Through the years, I took on extra advertising and marketing capabilities, initially dealing with social media for OkCupid after which shifting into creator and influencer partnerships. By 2022, I began engaged on ARCHER, Match Group’s first LGBTQ+ particular courting app, which is a social-first platform for homosexual and queer males within the U.S. As head of name, I now lead creator partnerships, communications, PR, model partnerships, occasions, and social media for each apps.
Pondering again, my position has advanced considerably in direction of advertising and marketing, which was fairly an enormous shift from my earlier profession focus. When this transition started, I confronted quite a lot of imposter syndrome, steadily questioning my very own expertise and match for the position. However then I spotted that on the coronary heart of it, the whole lot is about storytelling — whether or not by way of collaborating with a creator on a social video or participating shoppers at an occasion. That realization shapes the whole lot I do now.
Since becoming a member of OkCupid, the model has seen the very best quantity of press ever, together with a White Home press launch point out. What are some greatest practices you’ve harnessed to realize world in addition to home-ground success?
There are three key practices which have pushed our success.
First is information storytelling. In contrast to some other courting app on the planet, OkCupid matches individuals on what issues to them by way of 1000s of in-app questions which were answered greater than 10 billion occasions since we launched. These questions cowl subjects associated to courting, relationships, and intercourse but in addition spotlight all the problems which are on the high of the minds of Gen Z and millennial daters. These insights actually assist me inform tales on a neighborhood, nationwide, and world stage with tailor-made angles for every market.
That leans into the second apply: localized, personalised narratives. Journalists at present will not be in search of a regurgitated press launch; they need a narrative with a novel angle related to their particular viewers. I can phase the info by individuals in New York Metropolis, Florida, France, and many others. to uncover data-driven insights about how individuals are feeling not nearly courting and relationships but in addition about tradition and politics at a world in addition to native stage.
“All these greatest practices mix into one another. I do not assume a narrative must be one in all them. An ideal story is all of them.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
The final piece is emotion. Our tales must resonate on a human stage. You may lean on the info to assist your narrative, however what’s the private aspect of that information? We now have to humanize the numbers.
Measuring emotion is a really troublesome and delicate knack. How did you do this?
I am truly going to return to the info for the emotion piece as a result of what’s fascinating about our questions is that every one is non-obligatory. If individuals are answering quite a lot of questions on a given matter, it alerts a connection they’ve with the respective matter as a result of they do not need to reply it. Going past simply answering our questions, customers can rank how vital a query is to them. These issue into our algorithm and the way we join individuals.
For instance, whereas many individuals may love horror films, the info alerts assist us perceive layered info. For instance, it may not be an enormous precedence for them, or they may not have an enormous connection to that matter. However, what they do have a powerful connection to is reproductive rights. This implies so much to lots of our daters. The message turns into clear that daters do not need to be matched with somebody who does not imagine that folks have the suitable to decide on what to do with their very own our bodies.
Our information actually does inform us so much about human conduct and the emotional connections our daters have to those main points which are urgent for Gen Z and millennial daters.
We additionally actively have interaction with our daters. We do not sit in an workplace and by no means work together with our customers. We’re speaking to daters on a month-to-month foundation.
“Folks DM me asking for recommendation on courting or constructing a profile. There’s a number of dialogue between our staff and the precise app customers, which is superb as in addition they assist inform product options and model campaigns. We now have a extremely shut connection to the individuals on our apps.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
How do you differentiate your communication technique for ARCHER and OkCupid from its opponents like Grindr, Hinge, and Tinder? And from one another?
To distinguish our communication technique for ARCHER and OkCupid, we focus closely on product training. On ARCHER, each profile exhibits a face, which is an enormous distinction from our opponents. The place they’re all about anonymity and secrecy, we’re about celebration and displaying your truest self. OkCupid, alternatively, makes use of intensive matching inquiries to match customers primarily based on what issues most to them.
“The whole lot we do tries to drive again to that USP and remind individuals why we’re completely different from a product perspective.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
Our advertising and marketing and brand-building methods for ARCHER and OkCupid differ in nuance as every model has very completely different challenges.
ARCHER is a model new app geared in direction of a distinct segment demographic of homosexual and queer Gen Z and millennial males. Our primary goal for ARCHER is first model consciousness after which model affinity. Our technique focuses on constructing model consciousness and affinity by way of each on-line presence and in-person occasions. Over the previous yr, we have tapped a whole bunch of creators and influencers, however we have additionally hosted and sponsored dozens of in-person occasions throughout the nation.
We have already examined our first model integration on Ru Paul’s Drag Race International All Stars, and that exercise truly drove double-digit progress and downloads the weekend our episode aired in comparison with the weekend earlier than.
You may discover that whenever you have a look at the advertising and marketing mixture of what we’re doing for ARCHER, it is hitting each attainable lever. We’re not simply leaning into PR or creators; we’ve got to do all of it to ensure that when a homosexual man leaves his condominium in New York Metropolis, he sees us on a billboard, after which he opens Tiktok and an ARCHER advert comes up. After which, after work, when he goes to a homosexual bar together with his buddies, he sees ARCHER-branded napkins, and he is consistently seeing this model title.
OkCupid is a very completely different ball recreation. It’s a 20+ year-old OG courting app with thousands and thousands of customers worldwide. Opposite to ARCHER’s area of interest demographic, OkCupid is actually for everybody, no matter how they determine. For OkCupid, our problem isn’t model consciousness however model notion — being seen as a courting app for an older demographic.
After I joined OkCupid, I keep in mind asking my youthful cousin in her 20s, “Have you learnt OkCupid?” And he or she stated, “Yeah, in fact. I do know OkCupid. It is a courting app for older individuals.”
Combating the affiliation with an older demographic and focusing on Gen Z and youthful millennials is vital as a result of we need to hold bringing in youthful customers. We have been leaning into collaborations with manufacturers that Gen Z and millennials love.
One among my favourite model collabs occurred most just lately.
“OkCupid collaborated with the AI picture modifying app Photoroom to create a software known as the Ex-Terminator. This was primarily based on the perception we gained from customers stating that about 6 in 10 (55%) Gen Z daters have pictures the place they need to erase a former companion.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
After a breakup, individuals typically need to get again into courting. The issue is that their greatest pictures embrace their ex, which is not best for a recent begin on a courting profile. The Ex-Terminator software lets individuals simply erase their ex from these footage. As soon as that was accomplished, individuals may dive again into the courting scene with their OkCupid ex-free profile. And it was such a powerful marketing campaign for us.
Supply: OkCupid Weblog
14%
Was the spike in matches on OkCupid attributable to the marketing campaign launch. This progress was in comparison with the identical month final yr. The marketing campaign was pushed by PR, social media, and influencers.
OkCupid and Photoroom groups are in ongoing discussions for brand spanking new plans for 2025.
We’re leaning into model partnerships and constructing on the fandoms of different corporations.
We’re additionally talking with a extremely huge espresso chain right here in the US as a result of 8 in 10 daters on OkCupid love espresso dates. So there’s so much brewing over right here. Pun meant.
I feel somebody must be brazenly homosexual to be on the ARCHER app, proper? Is there a method by way of your technique or by way of ARCHER as a company to assist people who’re on that coming-out journey?
Our method with ARCHER is certainly for people who find themselves brazenly homosexual and able to specific their true selves. Whereas this may not initially embrace everybody, we’re dedicated to supporting these on their journey after they’re prepared.
To assist this, we provide the ARCHER Well being Hub characteristic, out there each on-line and on social media. It is a useful resource geared toward educating and informing homosexual and queer males, no matter the place they’re of their life journey. We created this to handle the gaps our nation’s training system has which are failing the LGBTQ+ group as an entire.
Every month, we characteristic new content material specializing in essential points. Matters embrace coming-out journeys, residing with HIV, range in courting, and dealing with rejection. Written by each exterior contributors and myself, these items are formatted as “how-to” advice-driven articles to handle powerful, uncomfortable, real-life conversations.
OkCupid has been round for some time in comparison with its opponents. How do you retain the model feeling recent and related?
In addition to the model partnerships, our storytelling has been laser-focused on subjects that our youthful daters care about most. These embrace conversations round local weather change, moral non-monogamy, psychological well being, reproductive rights, and many others. With the ability to authentically join our model to those conversations has catapulted OkCupid again into the cultural zeitgeist of Gen Z and younger millennials.
From being focused as consumers to being the oldsters working behind manufacturers and companies, how have you ever seen the state of queer illustration in advertising and marketing change?
There’s undoubtedly been progress, however there’s additionally work to be accomplished. There’s an unbelievable LGBTQ+ equality non-profit group known as GLAAD that works to form the narrative and lead cultural change for the queer group by way of dynamic media. In line with GLAAD’s 2023 report, LGBTQ+ individuals are nonetheless underrepresented in mainstream promoting. Queer individuals solely seem in 3% of advertisements and obtain lower than 2% of display time.
At OkCupid, and clearly, Archer, as a result of that is an app for queer males particularly, we totally assist the LGBTQ+ group, together with non-binary and transgender customers.
Through the years, I’ve actually appreciated this about our firm, particularly OkCupid. It is technically a mainstream app, and we actually imagine there must be extra trans inclusion in promoting and advertising and marketing.
We’re proud to have labored with trans activists like Dylan Mulvaney or bisexual, homosexual, and pansexual fashions in our model campaigns. It is our duty, particularly once we’re doing a model marketing campaign, to spotlight all the attractive identities of the daters we see on OkCupid.
All of us need to see ourselves mirrored in a model we love, a product we use, or a present or film we watch. So I might say, sure, there’s progress, however there’s a lot work that also must be accomplished.
“Manufacturers have quite a lot of energy. Even when not all of us have big advertising and marketing budgets, we do have advertising and marketing budgets and large platforms. Companies have a duty and a chance to actually shift and propel tradition.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
Are there any shopper developments you’re seeing develop into outstanding or emerge on the subject of consuming branded content material? What’s your recommendation to PR professionals and entrepreneurs on the whole proper now?
Do the surprising whereas staying true to your model’s identification. There’s an organization I have been talking with for the previous couple of months a few partnership with OkCupid, and they’re to date out of our typical realm of partnerships.
I keep in mind going into that dialog saying, “That is going to be a waste of my time. I do not even know why I am entertaining this name.” Quick ahead half-hour, I left the decision extremely enthusiastic about what this partnership may develop into as a result of it was so surprising. And I feel it is a kind of moments the place individuals are going to say, “What the hell are these two manufacturers doing collectively?”
Such surprising collaborations can captivate audiences and spark conversations. My recommendation to PR people and entrepreneurs can be to be sure you’re not aligning your self with an organization with drastically completely different morals and values. I would not do this. However look past what individuals would actually anticipate from an organization inside your given class.
“Do the surprising, however keep genuine. Look past the apparent, however stay constant together with your core rules.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
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Our CEO Godard has talked about imagining G2 because the place the place software program consumers and sellers fall in love, which makes me think about a G2 model of OkCupid. What’s one characteristic you assume G2 may take inspiration from OkCupid?
Our deal with localization and personalization is one key takeaway for G2 from OkCupid. This isn’t a characteristic however an method. On OkCupid, a person’s expertise is tailor-made to their location, whether or not they’re in New York, Berlin, London, Montreal, or Tel Aviv. We have developed localized matching questions for over 30 markets globally, making the app really feel like a neighborhood product wherever you employ it.
We have interaction with native groups to know cultural nuances and incorporate these insights into our app. For instance, in Israel, we’ve got individuals on the bottom that we’re at all times speaking to, who’re our eyes and ears for what’s taking place in tradition and politics. We carry these conversations and formulate them into questions for the OkCupid app. That is one a part of OkCupid that I’ve at all times cherished.
“This stage of personalization, together with tailor-made questions for queer communities, creates a deeply private expertise that I discover exceptional and unparalleled in different tech merchandise.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
What’s your subsequent profession step? What are you striving towards or hoping to study sooner or later?
As we converse, I simply received this thrilling information that we hit 1 million downloads for ARCHER inside 1 yr of launching, which is such an unbelievable milestone. I am happy with everybody throughout product, finance, advertising and marketing, and information for this crew effort.
My instant focus is on attaining the subsequent million downloads for ARCHER and cementing the model within the homosexual cultural zeitgeist.
Personally, I’ve a powerful ardour for steady studying. I maintain a grasp’s in strategic communications and have accomplished varied certificates applications in communications and social media advertising and marketing. I am wanting to dive deeper into advertising and marketing to discover and experiment with AI.
My purpose for 2025 is to broaden my experience, develop and study as a marketer, and see wherever my profession takes me.
How do you stability all of it and keep sane?
Balancing the whole lot comes right down to time administration and sacrifice. I acknowledge that I can not do all of it, so I am comfy saying no to sure issues to make sure I can provide 100% to what I select to interact with. It is vital to prioritize high quality over sheer amount in my commitments.
I additionally make it some extent to carve out private time, typically stunning individuals with how offline I will be. Every week, I dedicate time to actions like SoulCycle, studying, listening to podcasts, or strolling in Central Park. These breaks assist me disconnect from work and recharge, sustaining my psychological well being and creativity. Amidst our always-online world, discovering moments to be offline is essential for staying balanced and sane.
What position has mentorship performed in your journey?
I am lucky to have had actually unbelievable mentors at each stage of my private {and professional} journey. Firstly are my grandparents, who’re my adoptive mother and father. They created a life higher than something I may have ever imagined. My dad taught me the significance of a powerful work ethic. I discovered the worth of networking by way of each my mother and father as a result of they had been at all times the preferred individuals I knew. I would not be wherever with out them. Any new position, promotion, or award is devoted to them. I at all times thank them first.
Over my profession, I have been influenced by highly effective ladies. Two come to thoughts. First is Maryam Ayromlou, a former colleague and Emmy-winning TV information senior producer turned communications government. Maryam is presently the managing director of storytelling & content material at Ruder Finn. She taught me a lot about consumer administration, expectation setting, and storytelling.
The second is Melissa Hobley, the chief advertising and marketing officer at Tinder. She’s the previous CMO at OkCupid, and he or she is the one who employed me right here. We didn’t know one another prior, and Melissa has at all times been a fierce advocate for me. She helped pave a brand new profession trajectory for me and has supported me on a private {and professional} stage for years. I’ve discovered a lot from her about private branding and storytelling.
I’ve additionally discovered about empathy and displaying up for somebody within the office past their conventional methods.
Melissa’s handled ageing mother and father on the similar time that I’ve handled ageing mother and father and has been a assist system for me to lean on and navigate as a result of, for somebody my age with older mother and father, it may be a really isolating expertise. She’s been my shoulder to lean on which works properly past what her job description is. I discovered so much about empathy from her, too.
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