The rebrand follows the acquisition of the Australian website, , and will see the Friends Reunited logo adapted, with the four people wearing sunglasses disappearing being replaced by a map of the world.
At the same time, an online advertising campaign, created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, aims to attract new users to the . Seven different executions will use nostalgia for schooldays, showing playground romances and schoolroom pranks. The ads will appear on sites including the Daily Express and Square Meal.
The website is also testing a project currently known as Friends Reunited Live, which will rival networking sites such as Friendster.com and Orkut. While Friends Reunited already runs a dating service, the new network will help people who want to make friends with people who have similar interests.
There will also be an issues-based chat forum where people can discuss anything from local government to celebrity gossip. It is set to go live in October.
Ultimately, Friends Reunited aims to have one global parent brand, one fee and one database. It is currently in the process of merging the databases of Schoofriends.com.au and the Australasian members of Friends Reunited.
Fees for the new services have not been decided at this stage.
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