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The UK online dating service DatingDirect.com is planning a pounds

2 million marketing spend including press, online and possibly TV

sponsorship.

Creative for the campaign will be handled by the Birmingham-based agency

Remote Stone, with both on- and off-line media planning and buying by

MediaCom TMB.

DatingDirect.com launched at the start of 1999 and spent pounds 500,000

on advertising during the first half of that year. The site, which has

also just signed a partnership with the online fashion retailer Zoom,

charges subscribers a pounds 15 monthly fee.

Darren Richards, the chief executive at the online matchmaker, said that

the ad budget will be split 50/50 between traditional and online, with

the online spend going towards developing strategic alliances and search

engine agreements with online providers, as well as creating a banner ad

campaign.

Richards commented: ’We’ve always had a strong brand image. Most people

who join a service like this take it very seriously and expect us to do

the same.’

DatingDirect hopes to have signed up 300,000 users by Christmas.

Richards said measuring the success of the site was difficult. ’If

people who meet each other online at our site go on to have a

relationship, we simply wouldn’t know.’