A case study of how societal relevance leads to a discerning and opinionated brand manifest for Dutch online dating website Relatieplanet.nl, plus more presence in media than just as advertising.

1. societal relevance in practice
RELATIEPLANET.NL CASE
Libertyfarm.nl – harvesting game changing ideas

2. relatieplanet.nl
A SOCIETAL RELEVANT CASE
Relatieplanet.nl is the Dutch market leader in online dating. The company is run by very down-to earth people form the northern part of Holland: they don’t need a fancy
office in Amsterdam. They don’t believe in quasi-scientific match making tests used by their competition – their idea: just get a drink together, if you are curious about the
existence of the infamous spark. And when clients call the office, they just pick up the phone – no pre-recorded menu of choices to go through. In my opinion, this already
present, down-to–earth, internal company culture should be communicated to the outside world – transparency, right? Problem: a “down-to-earth” brand DNA does not
necessarily match very well with the romantic, exiting, maybe even erotic qualities of the category….But the search for societal relevance led to a solution:

3. SOCIETAL INSIGHT: PERFECT PARTNER PRESSURE
Our research (consisting of online buzz monitoring and qualitative interviews with relationship
therapists) brought to light a major societal issue in the area of dating and relationships: many
people suffer from what we called ‘perfect partner pressure’: their expectations of a future
partner, fed by media imagery and narcissism so common among people coming of age in the
individualistic era, is way too high. This leads to either narcissistic behavior (“my girlfriend does
not match Kate Moss – let’s ditch her”) or to feelings of severe insecurity: (“I am not good
enough. I am not as pretty nor as witty as the rest”). This perfect partner pressure became the
seeding ground for finding societal relevance for Relatieplanet, matching their down-to-earth
brand DNA:

4. RELATIEPLANET’S SOCIETAL RELEVANT BRAND STATEMENT:
A long-lasting relationship requires passion, sure,
but down-to-earthiness and decisiveness as well.
Because: if you really like to attain a serious relationship,
you should stop focussing on the outside.
You should start exploring the inside.
You should stop comparing people to your mental perfect partner picture
and start to approach the other more openly and honestly.
You should stop escaping into your fantasies
and start to act according to reality.
Relatieplanet.nl wants to help you to get rid of Perfect Partner Pressure
and thus help you to be more successful in obtaining a long-lasting relationship.
Makes sense, doesn’t it?
After all, you probably will not find the partner of your dreams at Relatieplanet.nl.
You will find normal, real people.
people that are ready to share their live with someone else.
Just like you.
Relatieplanet.nl – Stop dreaming. Start dating.
…and this lead to an advertising campaign:

5. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO MORE THAN JUST ADS
Alex Bogusky, one of the founders of advertising agency Crispin, Porter, Bogusky, used to tell his
creative teams: “Don’t show me the script. Show me the press release.” The press release in his
quote works like a litmus test: When the idea can be easily translated to a press release, the idea is
obviously touching on a societal issue. And that means talk value. And content instead of ads. And
conversations instead of messaging top-down….

6. Publicatie
Datum
Pagina
SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO MORE THAN JUST ADS
We combined an analysis of Relatieplanet.nl’s user data with quantitative research among 2000
Dutch singles, concerning the hypothesis” “Perfect Partner Pressure forms a threshold for obtaining
a long-lasting, serious relationship.” Out of this combined research, we distilled four different press
releases, send out selectively throughout the campaign period. Result: a huge amount of free
publicity, both online and offline…
. Stad
: 26.230
r Courant ed lage
Op
: Leeuwarde
: dagelijks
Frequentie
: 04-01-2011
: 17
aarde
Advertentiew
Regio
: € 1765,3
: Leeuwar

7. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO MORE THAN JUST ADS
…and more in-depth feature articles in magazines:

8. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO MORE THAN JUST ADS
Societal relevance made it possible to contact editorial staff of VROUW Magazine (trans: Woman
Magazine) to create branded content. They developed online content concurrent with the four
press releases…

9. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO MORE THAN JUST ADS
…and even a special edition on dating in the printed version of VROUW Magazine. The middle of
the magazine showed four ‘regular guys’, ready for a date with the magazine’s readers.

10. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO RESULTS
Relatieplanet.nl obtained 40,88% increase in free memberships, compared to
exactly the same period a year earlier. The conversion percentage to paid
members doubled. Brand awareness rose 8%.

11. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE RESULTS IN A BRAND VISION
We were humbled by receiving one of the biggest complements ever from a client: “We
(relatieplanet.nl) asked you to develop a theme campaign. We got one, plus we got ourselves a
new company vision as well.”
BRAND MANIFEST / VISION
People shouldn’t be enslaved to their over-romantic Perfect Partner imagery. It is the
biggest threshold in obtaining a succesful long-term relationship. Helping people to
become more realistic will lead to an increase in feelings of happiness.
BRAND CONCEPT (poetic compression of the vision)
Stop dreaming. Start Dating.
IDEA
“It seems like no one is good enough”
SMALL IDEA
“My new girlfriend is just
not as hot as Kate Moss”

12. SOCIETAL RELEVANCE LEADS TO A ‘CONCEPT THAT DRIVES
THE BUSINESS’
The authentic and discerning Brand Manifest helps Relatieplanet to stop thinking about their online
platform as their sole product. The Brand Manifest works as a ‘concept that drives the business’: what to
think of a relationship coach service? Or ‘Dating Classes’, helping people to be successful at their first
date? Or a personal development book? Or an online or offline TV format in which women and men who
suffer severely from Perfect Partner Pressure are helped to become more realistic? The Brand Manifest
helps Relatieplanet to leave the ‘Red Ocean’ of dating websites severely competing with one another,
and to enter the ‘Blue Ocean’, creating new businesses around their discerning philosophy. (Black circles
are executed. Yellow-rimmed circles are opportunities).
Branded
content VROUW
magazine
Relationship
coach
Dating
School
PR
research
Personal
development
book
Concept:
Stop dreaming.
Start dating.
Free publicity
Guerrilla
stunts
Singles
parties
Redesign
brand
identity
Branded
content
Advertising
Communication
toolkit
Editorial
cooperation
Online video /
TV format