Information-driven storytelling is on the coronary heart of profitable buyer love. However like Cupid’s arrow, it could actually both be a success or an costly miss.
That will help you craft the right love story between knowledge 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 Internet’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 sequence. For extra content material like this, subscribe to G2 Tea, a publication 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 school, primarily working with boys within the first and second grades.
What’s your favourite software program in your present tech stack?
At the moment, ChatGPT is the one which has remodeled my workflow. Though I may be a little bit of a late adopter, it has been invaluable. For my publication, Blurring The Strains, I conduct reside interviews, file 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 wish to throw your laptop computer out the window?
I haven’t confronted this difficulty not too long ago, however a significant frustration comes from my communications background, significantly when coping with storytelling alongside journalists. It is exasperating when headlines do not match the narrative we supposed or once they’re overly damaging, but such issues usually lie past my management. As somebody who likes to have management over each facet, these conditions could 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 numerous communications companies, working with shoppers throughout numerous sectors like international 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 become a world function. 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 transferring 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 function has advanced considerably in the direction of advertising and marketing, which was fairly a giant shift from my earlier profession focus. When this transition started, I confronted loads of imposter syndrome, often questioning my very own expertise and match for the function. However then I noticed that on the coronary heart of it, every little thing is about storytelling — whether or not by way of collaborating with a creator on a social video or partaking shoppers at an occasion. That realization shapes every little thing 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 finest practices you’ve harnessed to attain international in addition to home-ground success?
There are three key practices which have pushed our success.
First is knowledge storytelling. Not like another courting app on the planet, OkCupid matches individuals on what issues to them by way of 1000s of in-app questions which have been answered greater than 10 billion instances 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 international degree with tailor-made angles for every market.
That leans into the second observe: localized, personalised narratives. Journalists in the present day usually are not in search of a regurgitated press launch; they need a narrative with a novel angle related to their particular viewers. I can section the information by individuals in New York Metropolis, Florida, France, and so on. 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 degree.
“All these finest practices mix into one another. I do not assume a narrative needs to be one in every of them. An important 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 have to resonate on a human degree. You would possibly lean on the information to assist your narrative, however what’s the private facet of that knowledge? We’ve to humanize the numbers.
Measuring emotion is a really tough and delicate knack. How did you do this?
I am truly going to return to the information for the emotion piece as a result of what’s fascinating about our questions is that every one is elective. If individuals are answering loads of questions on a given subject, it indicators a connection they’ve with the respective subject as a result of they do not need to reply it. Going past simply answering our questions, customers can rank how necessary a query is to them. These issue into our algorithm and the way we join individuals.
For instance, whereas many individuals would possibly love horror films, the information indicators assist us perceive layered data. For instance, it may not be a giant precedence for them, or they may not have a giant connection to that subject. However, what they do have a robust connection to is reproductive rights. This implies so much to a lot of our daters. The message turns into clear that daters do not wish to be matched with somebody who would not consider that folks have the best to decide on what to do with their very own our bodies.
Our knowledge 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 interact 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 plenty of dialogue between our workers and the precise app customers, which is wonderful as additionally they assist inform product options and model campaigns. We’ve 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 a giant distinction from our opponents. The place they’re all about anonymity and secrecy, we’re about celebration and displaying your truest self. OkCupid, then again, makes use of intensive matching inquiries to match customers primarily based on what issues most to them.
“Every part we do tries to drive again to that USP and remind individuals why we’re totally 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 totally different challenges.
ARCHER is a model new app geared in the direction of a distinct segment demographic of homosexual and queer Gen Z and millennial males. Our essential 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 lot 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 World 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 to do all of it to be sure that when a homosexual man leaves his residence 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 along with his mates, he sees ARCHER-branded napkins, and he is continually seeing this model identify.
OkCupid is a very totally different ball recreation. It’s a 20+ year-old OG courting app with tens of millions 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.
Once I joined OkCupid, I bear in mind asking my youthful cousin in her 20s, “Are you aware OkCupid?” And she or he stated, “Yeah, after all. I do know OkCupid. It is a courting app for older individuals.”
Combating the affiliation with an older demographic and concentrating on Gen Z and youthful millennials is necessary as a result of we wish to maintain bringing in youthful customers. We have been leaning into collaborations with manufacturers that Gen Z and millennials love.
Considered one of my favourite model collabs occurred most not too long ago.
“OkCupid collaborated with the AI picture enhancing 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 images the place they wish to erase a former accomplice.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising and marketing & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
After a breakup, individuals usually wish to get again into courting. The issue is that their finest images embody their ex, which is not very best for a contemporary begin on a courting profile. The Ex-Terminator software lets individuals simply erase their ex from these photos. As soon as that was achieved, individuals might dive again into the courting scene with their OkCupid ex-free profile. And it was such a robust 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 firms.
We’re additionally talking with a extremely massive 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 supposed.
I believe somebody must be overtly homosexual to be on the ARCHER app, proper? Is there a approach by way of your technique or by way of ARCHER as a corporation to assist people who’re on that coming-out journey?
Our method with ARCHER is certainly for people who find themselves overtly homosexual and able to categorical their true selves. Whereas this may not initially embody everybody, we’re dedicated to supporting these on their journey once they’re prepared.
To assist this, we provide the ARCHER Well being Hub characteristic, obtainable 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 deal with the gaps our nation’s training system has which are failing the LGBTQ+ group as a complete.
Every month, we characteristic new content material specializing in essential points. Matters embody coming-out journeys, dwelling with HIV, variety in courting, and dealing with rejection. Written by each exterior contributors and myself, these items are formatted as “how-to” advice-driven articles to deal with powerful, uncomfortable, real-life conversations.
OkCupid has been round for some time in comparison with its opponents. How do you retain the model feeling contemporary and related?
Moreover the model partnerships, our storytelling has been laser-focused on subjects that our youthful daters care about most. These embody conversations round local weather change, moral non-monogamy, psychological well being, reproductive rights, and so on. 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 parents working behind manufacturers and companies, how have you ever seen the state of queer illustration in advertising and marketing change?
There’s positively been progress, however there’s additionally work to be achieved. There’s an unimaginable 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 response to 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 screen time.
At OkCupid, and clearly, Archer, as a result of that is an app for queer males particularly, we absolutely 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 consider 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 accountability, particularly once we’re doing a model marketing campaign, to spotlight all the gorgeous identities of the daters we see on OkCupid.
All of us wish to see ourselves mirrored in a model we love, a product we use, or a present or film we watch. So I’d say, sure, there’s progress, however there’s a lot work that also must be achieved.
“Manufacturers have loads of energy. Even when not all of us have enormous advertising and marketing budgets, we do have advertising and marketing budgets and large platforms. Companies have a accountability and a possibility to really 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 turn out to be outstanding or emerge in relation to consuming branded content material? What’s your recommendation to PR professionals and entrepreneurs basically proper now?
Do the surprising whereas staying true to your model’s id. There’s an organization I have been talking with for the previous couple of months a few partnership with OkCupid, and they’re to this point out of our typical realm of partnerships.
I bear 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 might turn out to be as a result of it was so surprising. And I believe it is a type 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 ensure you’re not aligning your self with an organization with drastically totally 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 plain, however stay constant along 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 might take inspiration from OkCupid?
Our concentrate on localization and personalization is one key takeaway for G2 from OkCupid. This isn’t a characteristic however an method. On OkCupid, a consumer’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 interact with native groups to grasp cultural nuances and incorporate these insights into our app. For instance, in Israel, we’ve 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 convey 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 degree of personalization, together with tailor-made questions for queer communities, creates a deeply private expertise that I discover outstanding 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 be taught sooner or later?
As we converse, I simply obtained this thrilling information that we hit 1 million downloads for ARCHER inside 1 yr of launching, which is such an unimaginable milestone. I am happy with everybody throughout product, finance, advertising and marketing, and knowledge for this group effort.
My speedy focus is on attaining the following million downloads for ARCHER and cementing the model within the homosexual cultural zeitgeist.
Personally, I’ve a robust ardour for steady studying. I maintain a grasp’s in strategic communications and have accomplished numerous 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 objective for 2025 is to broaden my experience, develop and be taught as a marketer, and see wherever my profession takes me.
How do you stability all of it and keep sane?
Balancing every little thing comes all the way 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 may give 100% to what I select to interact with. It is necessary to prioritize high quality over sheer amount in my commitments.
I additionally make it some extent to carve out private time, usually stunning individuals with how offline I could 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 function has mentorship performed in your journey?
I am lucky to have had actually unimaginable mentors at each stage of my private {and professional} journey. At the beginning are my grandparents, who’re my adoptive mother and father. They created a life higher than something I might have ever imagined. My dad taught me the significance of a robust 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 anyplace with out them. Any new function, promotion, or award is devoted to them. I at all times thank them first.
Over my profession, I have been influenced by highly effective girls. Two come to thoughts. First is Maryam Ayromlou, a former colleague and Emmy-winning TV information senior producer turned communications government. Maryam is at the moment 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 that 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} degree 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 identical 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 effectively past what her job description is. I discovered so much about empathy from her, too.
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