While Penguin Dating might sound like obscure animal behaviour, it is also the name of the online dating website launched by Penguin Books and Match.com August 2008.
Penguin says that the creation of the dating site is part of it's overall mission to "develop meaningful relationships directly with readers", fitting alongside initiatives such as teen site Spinebreakers and Penguin's 100,000-strong digital newsletter subscription list.
The dating site is based on the idea that the books that we read say something defining about us and the type of people we are and therefore are a good starting point for romance. The members of Penguin Dating are asked to write in their profile about the last book they read and will also be able to search through the site's other profiles for mentions of their favourite book.
15m thinks that this is an intriguing business case: The dating website builds on the strong emotional connection that people have with their favourite books - and on the fact that people are passionate about what they read. Combined with an integration with the Penguin book shop, this becomes an interesting platform for selling books and establishing customer loyalty. Penguin says it will promote the site in the final pages of more than two million paperback novels.