OKCupid: The Data-Driven Brand

OkCupid is the epitome of a data-driven brand. Founded in 2004 by four math majors, the company used data to differentiate itself in a crowded market. Most company blogs are dreary affairs, but OKCupid’s became a must-read for fun, titillating factoids like how race affects the types of messages one gets on the dating site.
Sam Yagan, an OKCupid founder, spoke at Digiday’s Data Marketing Summit about why OkCupid is so focussed on data and how it was able to monetize itself because of this wealth of data.
“People think that people turn online for dating because they need someone to find their soul mate for them, but we think it’s because you want a bigger pool of people to choose from,” he said . “Data is key to sorting through all of these people.”
Below is Yagan’s presentation and video of his talk at DMS.

More in Marketing

For platforms, here’s what’s not going to happen in 2026

Rather than the traditional platform predictions, this is a list of what Digiday believes won’t happen next year.

Cheez-It bets on ‘Prince Cheddward’ mascot in an overcrowded sports marketing arena

To cut through sports marketing noise, Cheez-It is resurrecting Prince Cheddward and betting on nostalgia.

The anatomy of an agency chief client officer

Several major agencies have moved to appoint chief client officers to their top cohorts lately.