Knowledge-driven storytelling is on the coronary heart of successful buyer love. However like Cupid’s arrow, it may both be a success or an costly miss.
That can assist you craft the right love story between knowledge storytelling and model, we interviewed Michael Kaye, OkCupid and ARCHER’s director of name advertising & 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 Underneath 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 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 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 reworked my workflow. Though I may be a little bit of a late adopter, it has been invaluable. For my e-newsletter, Blurring The Traces, I conduct dwell interviews, document the audio, after which convert it right into a transcript. Utilizing ChatGPT to wash up the transcripts by eradicating filler phrases and repetitive content material has saved me numerous hours every week. It is really been a lifesaver.
What issues at work make you need to throw your laptop computer out the window?
I haven’t confronted this problem 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 supposed or after they’re overly damaging, but such issues usually lie past my management. As somebody who likes to have management over each side, 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 communications chief for ARCHER and OkCupid?
Completely. I have been on this trade for about 10 years. I began with 5 years at numerous communications corporations, working with shoppers throughout various sectors like world tech platforms, client items, fast service eating places, and leisure programs. In 2019, I joined Match Group to steer PR for OkCupid within the U.S., which shortly became a world position. I launched the model in nations like Australia, Germany, Israel, Turkey, and the UK.
Over time, I took on extra advertising features, 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.
Considering again, my position has developed considerably in direction of advertising, which was fairly an enormous shift from my earlier profession focus. When this transition started, I confronted a whole lot of imposter syndrome, incessantly questioning my very own expertise and match for the position. However then I noticed that on the coronary heart of it, the whole lot is about storytelling — whether or not by collaborating with a creator on a social video or participating customers at an occasion. That realization shapes the whole lot I do now.
Since becoming a member of OkCupid, the model has seen the best quantity of press ever, together with a White Home press launch point out. What are some finest practices you’ve harnessed to attain world in addition to home-ground success?
There are three key practices which have pushed our success.
First is knowledge storytelling. In contrast to another courting app on this planet, OkCupid matches folks on what issues to them by 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 additionally spotlight all the problems which can be on the prime of the minds of Gen Z and millennial daters. These insights actually assist me inform tales on an area, nationwide, and world degree with tailor-made angles for every market.
That leans into the second observe: localized, customized narratives. Journalists as we speak usually are not searching for a regurgitated press launch; they need a narrative with a singular angle related to their particular viewers. I can section the information by folks 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 additionally about tradition and politics at a world in addition to native degree.
“All these finest practices mix into one another. I do not suppose a narrative must be one in all them. An excellent story is all of them.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
The final piece is emotion. Our tales must resonate on a human degree. You may lean on the information to help your narrative, however what’s the private facet of that knowledge? Now we have to humanize the numbers.
Measuring emotion is a really troublesome and delicate knack. How did you try this?
I am really 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 non-obligatory. If individuals are answering a whole lot of questions on a given matter, it alerts a connection they’ve with the respective matter as a result of they do not should 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 folks.
For instance, whereas many individuals may love horror motion pictures, the information alerts assist us perceive layered data. 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 rather a lot to a lot 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 fitting to decide on what to do with their very own our bodies.
Our knowledge actually does inform us rather a lot about human habits and the emotional connections our daters have to those main points which can be 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.
“Individuals DM me asking for recommendation on courting or constructing a profile. There’s plenty of dialogue between our staff and the precise app customers, which is superb as in addition they assist inform product options and model campaigns. Now we have a extremely shut connection to the folks on our apps.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
How do you differentiate your communication technique for ARCHER and OkCupid from its rivals 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 rivals. The place they’re all about anonymity and secrecy, we’re about celebration and displaying your truest self. OkCupid, however, makes use of intensive matching inquiries to match customers based mostly on what issues most to them.
“Every part we do tries to drive again to that USP and remind folks why we’re totally different from a product perspective.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
Our advertising 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 direction of a distinct segment demographic of homosexual and queer Gen Z and millennial males. Our fundamental goal for ARCHER is first model consciousness after which model affinity. Our technique focuses on constructing model consciousness and affinity by each on-line presence and in-person occasions. Over the previous yr, we have tapped lots of 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 really drove double-digit development and downloads the weekend our episode aired in comparison with the weekend earlier than.
You may discover that once you take a look at the advertising 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 make it possible for 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 pals, he sees ARCHER-branded napkins, and he is continually seeing this model title.
OkCupid is a totally totally 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 establish. 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 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 folks.”
Combating the affiliation with an older demographic and concentrating on Gen Z and youthful millennials is necessary as a result of we need to maintain 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 lately.
“OkCupid collaborated with the AI photograph modifying app Photoroom to create a device known as the Ex-Terminator. This was based mostly on the perception we gained from customers stating that about 6 in 10 (55%) Gen Z daters have images the place they need to erase a former accomplice.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
After a breakup, folks usually need to get again into courting. The issue is that their finest images embody their ex, which is not ultimate for a contemporary begin on a courting profile. The Ex-Terminator device lets folks simply erase their ex from these footage. As soon as that was performed, folks might 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 brought on by the marketing campaign launch. This development 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 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 USA as a result of 8 in 10 daters on OkCupid love espresso dates. So there’s rather a lot brewing over right here. Pun supposed.
I believe somebody must be overtly homosexual to be on the ARCHER app, proper? Is there a means by your technique or by ARCHER as a company to help of us who’re on that coming-out journey?
Our method with ARCHER is certainly for people who find themselves overtly homosexual and able to specific their true selves. Whereas this may not initially embody everybody, we’re dedicated to supporting these on their journey after they’re prepared.
To help this, we provide the ARCHER Well being Hub function, obtainable each on-line and on social media. It is a useful resource aimed 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 can be failing the LGBTQ+ neighborhood as an entire.
Every month, we function new content material specializing in essential points. Matters embody coming-out journeys, dwelling 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 deal with powerful, uncomfortable, real-life conversations.
OkCupid has been round for some time in comparison with its rivals. How do you retain the model feeling contemporary and related?
Apart from 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 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 change?
There’s undoubtedly been progress, however there’s additionally work to be performed. 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 neighborhood by dynamic media. In line with GLAAD’s 2023 report, LGBTQ+ individuals are nonetheless underrepresented in mainstream promoting. Queer folks solely seem in 3% of adverts 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 totally help the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, together with non-binary and transgender customers.
Over time, 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.
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 after we’re doing a model marketing campaign, to spotlight all the gorgeous 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 performed.
“Manufacturers have a whole lot of energy. Even when not all of us have enormous advertising budgets, we do have advertising budgets and large platforms. Companies have a duty and a chance to really shift and propel tradition.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & communications at OkCupid and ARCHER
Are there any client traits you’re seeing turn out to be distinguished or emerge in terms of consuming branded content material? What’s your recommendation to PR professionals and entrepreneurs basically proper now?
Do the sudden 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 date 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 sudden. And I believe it is a kind of moments the place individuals are going to say, “What the hell are these two manufacturers doing collectively?”
Such sudden collaborations can captivate audiences and spark conversations. My recommendation to PR of us and entrepreneurs can be to be sure you’re not aligning your self with an organization with drastically totally different morals and values. I would not try this. However look past what folks would actually count on from an organization inside your given class.
“Do the sudden, however keep genuine. Look past the apparent, however stay constant along with your core ideas.”
Michael Kaye
Director of name advertising & 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 function you suppose G2 might take inspiration from OkCupid?
Our concentrate on localization and personalization is one key takeaway for G2 from OkCupid. This isn’t a function 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 an area product wherever you utilize 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 folks on the bottom that we’re all the time speaking to, who’re our eyes and ears for what’s occurring in tradition and politics. We deliver these conversations and formulate them into questions for the OkCupid app. That is one a part of OkCupid that I’ve all the time liked.
“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 & 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 pleased with everybody throughout product, finance, advertising, and knowledge for this crew effort.
My fast 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 numerous certificates packages in communications and social media advertising. I am desirous to dive deeper into advertising to discover and experiment with AI.
My aim 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 am unable to do all of it, so I am snug saying no to sure issues to make sure I may give 100% to what I select to have interaction 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 shocking folks 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 dad and mom. They created a life higher than something I might have ever imagined. My dad taught me the significance of a powerful work ethic. I realized the worth of networking by each my dad and mom as a result of they have been all the time the preferred folks I knew. I would not be anyplace with out them. Any new position, promotion, or award is devoted to them. I all the time 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 govt. 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 officer at Tinder. She’s the previous CMO at OkCupid, and she or he is the one who employed me right here. We didn’t know one another prior, and Melissa has all the time 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 realized a lot from her about private branding and storytelling.
I’ve additionally realized about empathy and displaying up for somebody within the office past their conventional methods.
Melissa’s handled growing older dad and mom on the identical time that I’ve handled growing older dad and mom and has been a help system for me to lean on and navigate as a result of, for somebody my age with older dad and mom, it may be a really isolating expertise. She’s been my shoulder to lean on which matches properly past what her job description is. I realized rather a lot about empathy from her, too.
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