With the nights drawing in and more single Brits on the lookout for a partner, match.com has given two of its most eligible bachelors a unique helping hand in their search for a date.
The dating service launched ‘Guy Candy’; a three-day pop-up which put a pair of its most style-conscious singles well and truly in the shop window. To boost their profile and put them in front of as many single females as possible, two London-based males with a passion for fashion have been re-created as mannequins in a Brick Lane shop window. Any single females who like what they see when passing by can click straight through to the match.com profile of their chosen ‘male model’ and arrange a date.
With so many people now dating online, sometimes it takes something a little different to make you stand out from the crowd. So match has taken on the task of showing off two of its members in all their glory: Keron Knight, 26, and Michael Catuogno, 33, had their 3D printed doppelgangers placed in the window of ‘Guy Candy’ in the heart of London’s bustling East End.
‘Guy Candy’ has already had a positive effect on the singles’ popularity, with both Keron and Michael now set for dates next week off the back of the shop, and both seeing increased activity on their profiles. Both men also had their profiles boosted using the match function; Keron has seen a 900 per cent increase of activity (messages, favourites and winks) whilst Michael has seen a huge 1,000 per cent increase. On the first day of the shop, passers-by also stopped to take pictures, with one single female asking for Michael’s phone number and tweets to the match twitter account enquiring about the men’s availability.
The design process took over three weeks and involved both Keron and Michael’s heads being scanned in a booth filled with over 40 DSLR cameras, and their 3D heads then being designed using specialist software from expert’s iMakr. The mannequins were then put together by a team of five after the heads were printed and carefully attached to specially painted mannequins, built to match the men’s skin tone. The clothes were also chosen by the members to give the most faithful representation of them possible.
The mannequins will be on show in the shop window for three days to gauge the effect that the mannequins have on the popularity of Keron and Michael’s profile, with match looking to roll out similar schemes across the UK for other members. This ultimate boost to their profiles is to support match’s Boost function – a paid-for add-on, which turbo-charges that member’s profile for a 30-minute period, giving them an even better opportunity of finding a date.
Keron Knight comments: “The whole experience was a lot of fun, you don’t really get the chance to do something like this every day of the week so I’m glad I took the opportunity to do it. The 3D printing shoot was really cool they were nice enough to show me exactly how it works and what materials will be used so I got to learn a lot about the process. On the day of the shoot we got a lot of interest from people walking past, who were wondering what was going on so it is great to know that has translated into a bit of interest in my profile.”
Michael Catuogno adds: “Seeing my doppelganger was bizarre, but brilliant. I feel extremely positive about this experience and hopefully the perfect date is just a few mouse clicks away. I’m looking for an intelligent and genuine woman, who is ready for an adventurous and meaningful new beginning.”
Kate Taylor, relationship expert for match.com, comments: “As online dating popularity has exploded, savvy members know that keeping ahead of the competition is key – any feature that allows potential dates to notice you instantly improves your chances of meeting someone. A simple, inexpensive add-on like Boost is an easy way to ensure your profile is seen by as many compatible partners as possible.
Kate’s top tips for boosting your online dating profile:
“Don’t forget that there are other steps you should consider to give yourself the best possible chance on match.com.
- Take time choosing your profile picture; don’t just upload any old digital image you have on your hard drive
- Profile text is key too, and you’ve got think about the detail, and be descriptive to give readers a real insight into yourself
- It’s also important to make sure that your pictures and text are aligned, if you describe yourself as rugged and active, your photos should demonstrate that”.
Those interested in meeting Keron or Michael can visit their dedicated pages on the match website match.com/datekeron and match.com/datemichael with the links open to all members of the public with our without a match subscription. Existing members can find them by searching for their usernames – KeronK and Mikey455.
Keron’s profile reads, “Keron is a tall confident guy, with an impulsive streak. He loves a good chat and is skilled in what he says is the lost art of conversation – its free and if you do it well you’ll be surprised where it can take you. Keron is looking for a girl who is willing to take risks and do something out of her comfort zone as well as surprise him by taking Keron out of his. Dinner dates just aren’t for him”.
Michael’s profile reads: “Michael from Surrey is a creative type – currently writing a book and a songwriter, he also enjoys cooking mostly Italian and Japanese food. He is an active sort of guy – with a passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and going to the gym. Michael is looking for a woman who is warm, creative, intelligent and non-judgemental. Recently Michael has had a change of career and is in his third year of a bachelor science psychology degree training to be a clinical psychologist. Michaels’s main goal in life is to be happy and enjoy it with good people. So if he sounds like someone you’d like to meet then get in contact”.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information, images or interviews with Keron, Michael or Kate Taylor please contact the match press office team at Brands2Life:
Hannah Milne / Laura Hicks, match@brands2life.com, Hannah.milne@brands2life.com / laura.hicks@brands2life.com
Tel: 020 7592 1200 / 07961 108653