Ashley Madison
Type of site | Online dating service |
|---|---|
| URL | http://www.ashleymadison.com/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
Ashley Madison is an online dating service for people currently in a relationship who wish to cheat on their partners.[1] The website was launched in 2001 and has since claimed to have over 5.2 million members. The name of the site is taken from the two most popular girl baby names "Ashley" and "Madison".[1]
Advertisements
Ashley Madison advertises with TV commercials written by founder Noel Biderman.[1]
In 2009 NBC banned an Ashley Madison ad from appearing in Super Bowl XLIII.[2] Biderman described the banning as ridiculous, stating that the NFL allows advertisements for alcohol, despite it causing thousands of deaths every year. 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." [2]
In December of 2009, Ashley Madison attempted to purchase $200,000 worth of advertising on Toronto Transit Commission streetcars.[3] 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".[3]. The TTC commissioner showed displeasure in 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".[4] After the deal was rejected Ashley Madison founder, Noel Biderman, offered to subsidize ticket prices by 25 cents if the deal went through. This would have reduced the ticket rate to $2.50.[3]. The TTC's refusal to take Ashley Madison advertising was made more controversial after the February 2010 admission by the Chair of the TTC, Adam Giambrone, that he himself had several times cheated on his long-time girlfriend. The admission caused Giambrone to cancel a planned campaign for mayor of Toronto, but have not changed the TTC's policy on the ads.[5]
Controversy
Since its launch, Ashley Madison has drawn heavy criticism over the subject matter of the site. 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". Noel Biderman, CEO of Ashley Madison, responded by stating that the site is "just a platform" and a website or a commercial will not convince anyone to commit infidelity. [1] [6]
A few bloggers have accused the Ashley Madison service of being a scam. Ashley Madison founder, Noel Biderman, has responded to these allegations stating, “All claims that Ashley Madison is a scam are entirely false and totally unsubstantiated. You can’t have a service with over 5 million members and which makes tens of millions of dollars based on a scam. Like any other online dating service, AshleyMadison.com isn’t going to work for everyone but if you follow the guidelines we lay out for you I guarantee that you will successfully find what you’re looking for or I’ll personally give you your money back.”
Ashley Madison further debunks the scam myth on their website with tips on how to make your experience using their service more successful. [7]
On February 22, 2010, the company approached the city of Phoenix, Arizona with an offer of $10 million dollars to rename the Sky Harbor Airport to Ashley Madison International Airport over a 5 year period. Despite the city being in financial troubles they rejected the offer.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b c d Daum, Meghan (2001-01-10). "Ashley Madison's secret success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Peat, Don (2009-12-11). "TTC dumps Ashley Madison". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ Edwards, Jim (2009-12-16). "No Streetcars Named Desire: Toronto Bans Adultery Ads on Public Transit". bnet.com. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ Yuen, Jenny (2010-02-09). "Ashley Madison may take another go at TTC". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Caplan, Jeremy (2008-06-28). "Cheating 2.0: New Mobile Apps Make Adultery Easier". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ Madison, Ashley (2010-03-11). "Is Ashley Madison a scam?". Ashley Madison. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- ^ Wong, Scott (2010-02-22). "Phoenix rejects $10M offer from infidelity Web site". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Fisher, Katie (2010-02-23). "Risque website offers $10 million for Sky Harbor name change". ABC15. Retrieved 2010-03-03.