How Uniformdating.com made my night

I’ve mentioned my recent penchant for policemen briefly here before.

Well last night, I came across something that made me ecstatic. (Not in a smutty or extra-marital way, I hasten to add. That would be too much information, much too soon.)

No, last night, whilst watching that inimitable wide boy Jamie Oliver (sadly sans whites), I came across an ad for Uniformdating.com. Now the ad itself is nothing to write home, or indeed here, about.  There are no frills, and definitely no thrills.

But it’s my ad of the week for a few very simple reasons.

First, it triggered a moment of clarity for me: it’s not only policemen, it’s uniforms per se that are doing it for me at present. Phew.

Second, I have a weakness for the underdog, and Uniformdating.com is a niche challenger to the main stream players. Its ad says as much. No Vaseline-smeared soft-tint lens on corny coupledom, rather incongruously backed by what I’m sure are irrefutable stats on ever-lasting lurve, a la e-Harmony.com. And certainly no random, kooky Match.com warbling (pass the bucket, please).

For Uniformdating.com, it’s graphics all the way. It’s not over-produced by any stretch of the imagination; it’s just really basic, colourful graphics. For which you could read honesty – or no cash.

Last, because it doesn’t go down the obvious route of hunky uniformed men (and women too, natch), my imagination ran riot across all the uniforms that could possibly populate Uniformdating.com: policemen yes, but also soldiers, sailors, pilots, doctors, dentists and nurses, firemen, air stewards/esses, even postmen and milkmen. Which got me wondering where the common-or-garden uniform fetishist would draw the line? Traffic wardens, I reckon.

All of which, in a longwinded way, bears witness to a basic adland truism: the award-winning spots may have cash splashed all over them, but reaching the target market isn’t always about the money.

(Go on, log on. You know you want to.)