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On February 22, 2010, the company approached the city of Phoenix, Arizona with an offer of $10 million to [[naming rights|rename]] the [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Sky Harbor Airport]] to Ashley Madison International Airport for a five-year period, noting the city was in financial trouble. Phoenix rejected the offer.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Wong | first = Scott | title = Phoenix rejects $10M offer from infidelity Web site | publisher = The Arizona Republic | date = 2010-02-22 | url = http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PHXBeat/74536 | accessdate = 2010-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | last = Fisher |first = Katie |title = Risque website offers $10 million for Sky Harbor name change | publisher = ABC15 | date = 2010-02-23 | url = http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Risque-website-offers-10-million-for-Sky-Harbor/z4uPlkToaEy6HGHAl2IqOQ.cspx |accessdate = 2010-03-03| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100225054012/http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Risque-website-offers-10-million-for-Sky-Harbor/z4uPlkToaEy6HGHAl2IqOQ.cspx| archivedate= 25 February 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
On February 22, 2010, the company approached the city of Phoenix, Arizona with an offer of $10 million to [[naming rights|rename]] the [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Sky Harbor Airport]] to Ashley Madison International Airport for a five-year period, noting the city was in financial trouble. Phoenix rejected the offer.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Wong | first = Scott | title = Phoenix rejects $10M offer from infidelity Web site | publisher = The Arizona Republic | date = 2010-02-22 | url = http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PHXBeat/74536 | accessdate = 2010-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | last = Fisher |first = Katie |title = Risque website offers $10 million for Sky Harbor name change | publisher = ABC15 | date = 2010-02-23 | url = http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Risque-website-offers-10-million-for-Sky-Harbor/z4uPlkToaEy6HGHAl2IqOQ.cspx |accessdate = 2010-03-03| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100225054012/http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Risque-website-offers-10-million-for-Sky-Harbor/z4uPlkToaEy6HGHAl2IqOQ.cspx| archivedate= 25 February 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>


In 2010, Ashley Madison made an offer to rename [[MetLife Stadium|New Meadowlands Stadium]] to AshleyMadison.com Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/09/nfl-new-york-jets-new-york-giants-stadium-meadowlands-ashley-madison-cheaters-adultery-website/ |title=NFL Stadium Offered $25M to Promote Adultery |publisher=TMZ.com |date=2010-05-30 |accessdate=2010-09-23| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100811083622/http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/09/nfl-new-york-jets-new-york-giants-stadium-meadowlands-ashley-madison-cheaters-adultery-website/| archivedate= 11 August 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
In 2010, Ashley Madison made an offer to rename [[MetLife Stadium|New Meadowlands Stadium]] to AshleyMadison.com Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/09/nfl-new-york-jets-new-york-giants-stadium-meadowlands-ashley-madison-cheaters-adultery-website/ |title=NFL Stadium Offered $25M to Promote Adultery |publisher=TMZ.com |date=2010-05-30 |accessdate=2010-09-23| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100811083622/http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/09/nfl-new-york-jets-new-york-giants-stadium-meadowlands-ashley-madison-cheaters-adultery-website/| archivedate= 11 August 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> There was no response.


In October 2011, Ashley Madison offered the [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian]] [[basketball]] club [[Pallacanestro Virtus Roma|Virtus Roma]] a jersey sponsorship deal worth €1.5 million, much of which would supposedly be spent on returning [[2011 NBA lockout|locked-out]] [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[Andrea Bargnani]] to his homeland. A Roman Catholic priest, Msgr. Flavio Capucci called the proposal "a betrayal of the value and identity of sport". The player himself denied any role in the deal.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ballineurope.com/us-basketball/nba/andrea-bargnani-denies-virtus-roma-ashley-madison-rumors-5505/#more-10260 |title=Andrea Bargnani: Don't Believe the Hype About Virtus Roma, Ashley Madison, and Me |work=BallInEurope.com |publisher=ESPN TrueHoop Network |date=2011-11-20 |accessdate=2011-10-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sportando.net/eng/italy/serie-a/31878/vatican_and_opus_dei_hostile_to_ashleymadison_as_virtus_roma_sponsor.html |title=Vatican and Opus Dei hostile to AshleyMadison as Virtus Roma sponsor |work=Sportando.net |date=2011-11-20 |accessdate= 2011-10-21}}</ref>
In October 2011, Ashley Madison offered the [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian]] [[basketball]] club [[Pallacanestro Virtus Roma|Virtus Roma]] a jersey sponsorship deal worth €1.5 million, much of which would supposedly be spent on returning [[2011 NBA lockout|locked-out]] [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[Andrea Bargnani]] to his homeland. A Roman Catholic priest, Msgr. Flavio Capucci called the proposal "a betrayal of the value and identity of sport". The player himself denied any role in the deal.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ballineurope.com/us-basketball/nba/andrea-bargnani-denies-virtus-roma-ashley-madison-rumors-5505/#more-10260 |title=Andrea Bargnani: Don't Believe the Hype About Virtus Roma, Ashley Madison, and Me |work=BallInEurope.com |publisher=ESPN TrueHoop Network |date=2011-11-20 |accessdate=2011-10-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sportando.net/eng/italy/serie-a/31878/vatican_and_opus_dei_hostile_to_ashleymadison_as_virtus_roma_sponsor.html |title=Vatican and Opus Dei hostile to AshleyMadison as Virtus Roma sponsor |work=Sportando.net |date=2011-11-20 |accessdate= 2011-10-21}}</ref>

Revision as of 08:49, 8 December 2014

Ashley Madison
Type of site
Online dating service
Social network service
Available inChinese (simplified, traditional and Singaporean), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Spanish (European and Latin American), Swedish
OwnerAvid Life Media
URLwww.AshleyMadison.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationYes
UsersOver 22 million (as of October 2013)[1]

Ashley Madison is an online dating service and social networking service marketed to people who are already in a relationship, whose slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair."[4] The website was launched in 2001.[2][5] The name of the site was created from two popular female baby names "Ashley" and "Madison".[4]

Membership

Ashley Madison is a membership website and service based in Canada; its supposed membership of over 22 million members[1] come from 30 countries:

Location Countries
North America Canada, USA,[6] Mexico[7]
Europe United Kingdom,[6] Ireland,[8] Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, France,[6] Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Norway[6]
Oceania Australia,[9] New Zealand[6]
Africa South Africa[10]
Asia Hong Kong,[1] Israel, Japan, Philippines

The company has announced plans to launch in Singapore in 2014.[1] However, the Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) has announced that it will not allow Ashley Madison to operate in Singapore as it promotes adultery and disregards family values.[11]

In response to the ban in Singapore, CEO Noel Biderman also told online tech publication e27 that he thinks prohibitions will always backfire. He said, "It’s not too conservative, it’s not too challenging. I think this is a anomaly. We have had success in Japan and Hong Kong. We will have success in Taiwan and Korea. We will find a way to bring this to the Philippines and Thailand. And ultimately, I genuinely believe Ashley Madison will be available to anyone in Singapore who wants to access it. I really believe that."[12]

Advertisements

Ashley Madison advertises with TV commercials, billboards, and radio ads by the CEO, Noel Biderman.[4]

In 2009, NBC banned an Ashley Madison ad from appearing in Super Bowl XLIII.[13] Biderman described the banning as ridiculous. Biderman considers the NFL demographic a core audience of the site and promises to "find a way to let them know about the existence of this service".[13]

In December 2009, Ashley Madison attempted to purchase C$200,000 worth of advertising on Toronto Transit Commission streetcars.[14] The plan was rejected after five of the six committee members voted against it. If approved, 10 streetcars would have been skinned with Ashley Madison's slogan: "Life is short. Have an affair."[14] The TTC commissioner showed displeasure with the ads, stating: "When it's a core fundamental value around cheating or lying, we’re not going to let those kinds of ads go on."[15] After the deal was rejected, Biderman offered to subsidize ticket prices by 25 cents if the deal went through. This would have reduced the ticket rate to C$2.50.[14] The offer was declined.

Bids for sports sponsorships

On February 22, 2010, the company approached the city of Phoenix, Arizona with an offer of $10 million to rename the Sky Harbor Airport to Ashley Madison International Airport for a five-year period, noting the city was in financial trouble. Phoenix rejected the offer.[16][17]

In 2010, Ashley Madison made an offer to rename New Meadowlands Stadium to AshleyMadison.com Stadium.[18] There was no response.

In October 2011, Ashley Madison offered the Italian basketball club Virtus Roma a jersey sponsorship deal worth €1.5 million, much of which would supposedly be spent on returning locked-out NBA player Andrea Bargnani to his homeland. A Roman Catholic priest, Msgr. Flavio Capucci called the proposal "a betrayal of the value and identity of sport". The player himself denied any role in the deal.[19][20]

Guarantee

Ashley Madison offers a guarantee that you will "find someone": "we GUARANTEE that you will successfully find what you’re looking for or we'll give you your money back"[21] However, the guarantee is so restricted by conditions -- you must buy the most expensive package, send "priority" (more expensive) messages to 18 unique members each month for three months, send 5 Ashley Madison gifts per month, and engage in 60 minutes of (paid) chat per month,[22] that it is very difficult to qualify for. Compounding the problem is that "more men than women use the service, with the disparity increasing as they advance in age," and "Men seek sex, while women seek passion."[23] This is not revealed to prospective users. It is obvious from a page on the Ashley Madison site itself that many men feel "ripped off."[24]

Demographics

According to one source 74 percent of Ashley Madison's users have a college degree, where only 32 percent of Americans do.[25]

Criticism

Trish McDermott, a consultant who helped found Match.com, accused Ashley Madison of being a "business built on the back of broken hearts, ruined marriages, and damaged families". Biderman responded by stating that the site is "just a platform" and a website or a commercial will not convince anyone to commit adultery.[4][26] According to Biderman, affairs help preserve many marriages.[27]

Lawsuit

In 2012, the company was sued by former employee Doriana Silva, who stated that in preparation for the launch of the company's Portuguese-language website, she was assigned to create over a thousand bogus member profiles within a three-week period in order to attract paying customers, and that this caused her to develop repetitive stress injury.[28]

Business model

Unlike Match.com or eHarmony, AshleyMadison's business model is based on credits rather than monthly subscriptions. For a conversation between two members, one of the members -- almost always the male-- must pay five credits to initiate the conversation. Any follow up messages between the two members are free after the communication has been initiated. AshleyMadison also has a real time chat feature that is metered. Credits are utilised to pay for a certain time allotment of chat. Women can send "collect" messages to men, but men can not send them to women[29]

Unless they know how to opt out of the 'Ashley's Angels' feature, the site's Terms and Conditions say that users who have not yet paid the site any money ('Guest' accounts) may get computer generated messages from fictitious profiles that "are NOT conspicuously identified as such". These may cost money to respond to. The site says this feature is "to provide entertainment".[30]

The site also charges money to delete accounts, although they may be hidden for free.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Woo, Jacqueline (October 23, 2013). "Business of ruining marriages". My Paper. Retrieved 2013-10-24. The dating website that facilitates extramarital affairs between married individuals plans for a launch in Singapore next year, My Paper understands. The Canada-based website has over 21 million users worldwide. Its slogan: "Life is short. Have an affair." Ashley Madison has already expanded to other Asian countries and territories such as Japan, and, more recently, Hong Kong in August.
  2. ^ a b Pearson, Patricia. "The Two-Timers Club". [1]. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "AshleyMadison.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  4. ^ a b c d Daum, Meghan (2001-01-10). "Ashley Madison's secret success". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ ABC News. "When Cheating On Your Spouse Is Business". [2]. Archived from the original on 9 November 2004. Retrieved 2004-10-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e "Ashley Madison". DatingWebsitesReview.net. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  7. ^ Reuters (June 6, 2012). "Mexican presidential candidate becomes poster boy for infidelity". NBC News. Retrieved 2013-10-24. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "I got married three months ago. Then last month, I logged on to an infidelity website". Independent.ie. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  9. ^ Robinson, Georgina (2010-04-13). "Ashley Madison site launches in Australia". EssentialBaby.com.au. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  10. ^ "There is no typical SA cheater". Times LIVE. 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  11. ^ "MDA will block access to Ashley Madison website". Channel NewsAsia. November 8, 2013.
  12. ^ Huang, Elaine (November 25, 2013). "11 titillating minutes with Ashley Madison renders me impressed". e27 access date=2014-2-4. It's not too conservative, it's not too challenging. I think this is a anomaly. We have had success in Japan and Hong Kong. We will have success in Taiwan and Korea. We will find a way to bring this to the Philippines and Thailand. And ultimately, I genuinely believe Ashley Madison will be available to anyone in Singapore who wants to access it. I really believe that. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |work= (help)
  13. ^ a b Hill, Catey (2009-01-29). "Banned! These ads are too racy for the Super Bowl". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  14. ^ a b c Peat, Don (2009-12-11). "TTC dumps Ashley Madison". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  15. ^ Edwards, Jim (2009-12-16). "No Streetcars Named Desire: Toronto Bans Adultery Ads on Public Transit". bnet.com. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  16. ^ Wong, Scott (2010-02-22). "Phoenix rejects $10M offer from infidelity Web site". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  17. ^ Fisher, Katie (2010-02-23). "Risque website offers $10 million for Sky Harbor name change". ABC15. Archived from the original on 25 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "NFL Stadium Offered $25M to Promote Adultery". TMZ.com. 2010-05-30. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Andrea Bargnani: Don't Believe the Hype About Virtus Roma, Ashley Madison, and Me". BallInEurope.com. ESPN TrueHoop Network. 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  20. ^ "Vatican and Opus Dei hostile to AshleyMadison as Virtus Roma sponsor". Sportando.net. 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  21. ^ "Is Ashley Madison a scam? Is Ashley Madison a fraud?" https://www.ashleymadison.com/articles/ashley-madison-scam.html, retrieved 2014-08-17
  22. ^ https://www.ashleymadison.com/app/private/detailsform.p?#rules
  23. ^ Niv Elis, "Cheating on your spouse in Israel just got easier," "Jerusalem Post," May 22, 2014, http://www.jpost.com/Business/Business-News/Cheating-on-your-spouse-in-Israel-just-got-easier-353123
  24. ^ "Is Ashley Madison a scam? Is Ashley Madison a fraud?," https://www.ashleymadison.com/articles/ashley-madison-scam.html, retrieved 2014-08-17
  25. ^ Max Ehrenfreund, "The Economics of Adultery," "Washington Post," May 1, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/01/the-economics-of-adultery/
  26. ^ Caplan, Jeremy (2008-06-28). "Cheating 2.0: New Mobile Apps Make Adultery Easier". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  27. ^ Elaine Huang, "11 titillating minutes with Ashley Madison renders me impressed," "E27" November 25, 2013 http://e27.co/11-titillating-minutes-with-ashley-madison-renders-me-impressed/
  28. ^ Woman hurt typing fake profiles for dating site, $20M suit alleges, at CityNews; by Paola Loriggio; published November 10, 2013; retrieved November 11, 2013
  29. ^ "What is a Collet message," https://www.ashleymadison.com/app/private/support/faq.p?&s=9#336, retrieved 2014-08-17
  30. ^ a b "Ashley Madison Terms _Conditions". Cyprus: Ashley Madison. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
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