Spray Date is combining live video and mobility for one of its dating concepts. Together with mobile video developer and service provider Ironroad, it has developed a mobile speed-dating service that has been launched in Sweden, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Spray, one of Sweden’s largest speed-dating companies, got into the mobile sector 18 months ago. The Spray Date brand is one of the strongest in Sweden for dating services. Petter Strömberg, portal manager of Spray, explains why it started mobile speed dating: “We believe it gives us a competitive edge in the market and from a PR perspective we wanted to show the public that we were the first to have this.”

“Mobiles are becoming even more important to people’s lifestyles. If people can do something on a handset, they prefer that to using a computer.”

Spray Date, which has more than 600,000 members in its network in Sweden, offers a range of services, such as internet dating, chat and video messaging over the internet or using mobile phones. Its speed-dating service allows users to use quick video chats over their mobile phones to meet potential partners.

Mobile users register their profiles and dial in on a 3G phone; they press one for video dating, two for speed dating or three to chat. Those who select speed dating are then dialed up by the system, which also matches potential couples. After 90 seconds of video chat, the user can rate their date, and then move on to the next one. For SEK 39, a user gets at least three and up to five video dates.

Users can watch repeats of the call later and send new video messages to people they find interesting at a cost of SEK 3 per minute.

The video-dating service allows users to post video profiles, search among profiles already posted at Spray or send video messages.

Ironroad provides the technical solution for Spray’s mobile speed dating. Magnus Kniving, CEO of Ironroad, says the benefits for users are obvious. “It’s really quick because people tend to have their phones with them all the time. If you send or receive a video message, for example, it usually takes only a couple of minutes before you hear back from the other user. On the web, you might wait two or three days before people read their e-mails and send a response.”

The mobile Spray dating services, launched in partnership with mobile operator 3, has 1200 registered users in Sweden so far. Feedback has been positive, with a score of four out of five from testers at Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. At the latest commercial video portal launch in Indonesia generated 4600 registered users the first month.

As well as mobile videos, Ironroad also works with interactive video services. Its latest product is its video messaging service (VMS), similar to SMS but using video instead of text. Currently there are pilots in Sweden and Indonesia with the first commercial launch planned later this year.

With the success of Spray mobile dating, the company plans to integrate mobile services into all the other features that it offers.

Strömberg says: “It’s easier for people who are short of time just to check their handsets when watching TV, instead of having to turn on their computers and log in. People are starting to use their mobile phones for video services rather than just for phone calls.”



Elaine Stenson