I’m almost speechless.
Where to start?
So FriendsReunited is now owned by Brightsolid, a subsidiary of comic publisher DC Thompson, which paid £25 million in August but still hasn’t added the sites to the official website. (edit: This is due to the fact the purchase is being looked at by regulators, and is therefore not complete). And their first move is to buy traditional TV advertising?
Unless…
The fact that Brightsolid owns findmypast.com and the advert clearly positions GenesReunited on an equal footing to FriendsReunited gives one indication where things are going. And GR has around 10 million registered members, so there’s some potential there.
Which is why the advert seems to channel the same style and messaging as ads for stairlifts and services which will write your will. But that group already has their own social network if they’re not keen on Facebook.
So ignore FriendsReunited – as most people have. First Myspace, then Facebook came and won that battle, and nothing short of a new proposition will unsettle them. It’s in the genes, and white-label dating sites that Brightsolid will have seen the value of the purchase. The only reason I can see for influding even a mention of FriendsReunited in the advert is a more familiar name to draw people into GenesReunited. Although I’m not convinced that a social network mostly populated by tumbleweed billowing across the plains is an association really worth making…
View Comments so far ↓
1 simoncollister // Nov 2, 2009 at 12:53 pm
LOLZ – as they say. I always used to chuckle when I saw websites or web-based businesses running TV ads.
BUT…. apparently (can't quite recall where I saw it) the vast majority of revenue raised through online donations and the whole long-tail of fundraising thing by the Obama campaign was spent straight on TV ads……
TV advertising is still alive (sadly).
2 The Sceptic // Nov 2, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Hi Dan
The reason that brightsolid make no mention of Friends ReUnited on their corporate website, find my past site etc is that the purchase from ITV isnt concluded, the acquisition was subject to approval by the regulators the Competition Commission, so they cant say its part of the group until theres a positive ruling from the Comp Com… and they actually own it…
The regulator is interested because it could give Bsolid a big share of the genealogy market – so you are spot on with your comments that the brightsolid interest is all about genealogy, and not Friends ReUnited.
On the point about TV advertising, this decision is a Friends Reunited decision. For those who like conspiracy theories… is FR giving ITV some last ad revenue before they are finally sold?
3 Dan Thornton // Nov 3, 2009 at 8:46 am
Hi, and thanks for the comment – you're spot on with your regulator point, as it actually appeared in my feed reader shortly after I'd published this post, and I've been trying to find time to edit the copy since!
And Brightsolid certainly would have the genealogy market pretty sewn up – I wonder if Friends Reunited will just gradually be phased out, or just kept on life support as a potential feeder for customers…
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