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Brand of the Day: Grindr

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By Nesh Pillay, Reporter

May 21, 2015 | 3 min read

Welcome to Brand of the Day, where we pick the company making headlines for the day and explain five elements you need to know about what has happened for them to be in the news.

Today we feature gay dating app, Grindr, after an anti-LGBT pastor stepped down when his Grindr profile went public. This isn't the first time a high-profile, anti-gay individual has been caught on the site. Here’s what you need to know about Grindr, a brand synonymous for facilitating connections between people, and for ousting some of society’s most vocal hypocrites.

1) What it is

Grindr, much like Tinder, uses geolocation services to help gay, bisexual and bicurious men find potential partners within a certain proximity. Users can view a grid display of close men, organized by distance. Currently, there are more than 7 million active users on both iOS and Android devices.

2) History

Grindr was founded in the US in the spring of 2009 by its current chief executive officer, Joel Simkhai. It quickly spread by word of mouth, and went global within a year. Since then, it has received many awards including a Webby, and Crunchie.

3) Advertising

Grindr offers both free accounts, and an advertising subscription, Grindr Xtra. The free account however, offers both broadcast messages and web banner ads. Local businesses offer take advantage of the advertising opportunity, along with larger brands like Uber, Airbnb, Audi, Groupon, Fiat, Live Nation and Dollar Shave Club. However, ads aren’t cheap. A single global ad on the app can cost as much as $30,000.

4) Potential Sale

Earlier this month, it was reported that Grindr had hired Raine Groud LLC to help advise on a possible sale. However, no further information about its valuation or the buyer’s identity has been released.

5) Other notable scandals

In 2011, a Republican Puerto Rican senator, who often voted against gay rights, resigned after his Grindr account went public. At the time, he said: “I am confident that with the resignation of the legislature [we] can terminate this case and focus on the discussion of issues important to our people.” He publically came out as gay last year.

Another Republican politician, Randy Boehning of North Dakota, who also voted against LGBT rights, came out earlier this year after messages he had sent to a 21-year-old on Grindr went public.

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