Kehmistry makes Valentine’s Day debut with U Mobile

• Dating app officially launches with U Mobile Valentine campaign
• Aimed at boosting market presence, contest ends March 15.

DATING app Kehmistry has made its official market debut, with a marketing campaign in partnership with cellular services provider U Mobile kicking off on Valentine’s Day today (Feb 14).
 
“It is with great pleasure that I introduce Kehmistry to everyone in Malaysia – and beyond! Kehmistry was designed for busy, middle-class, urban professionals under 35 years of age who find it hard to find time to date,” cofounder and chief executive officer Bernard Lim said in a statement.
 
“With Kehmistry on your smartphone, you don’t have to make extra time to ‘date’. You can now get the ball rolling with just a few taps on your phone,” he added.
 
Digital News Asia (DNA) first featured the Kehmistry team in January during the app’s closed beta phase, where cofounder Shanker Joyrama (pic) said that the ultimate vision for the enterprise was to be the “de facto mobile dating app in all of South-East Asia.”
 
Since then, the team has been working on refining the app, focused on the core issue of ensuring a safe experience for its female users.
 
The team claims it has managed to come up with a method to build a safe ecosystem via three layers of verification and vetting.
 
The first is the need for SMS verification of all mobile phone numbers for all users.
 
Secondly, users will need to sign in with their Facebook and their account needs to have at least 50 friends. This is to ensure that they use their own Facebook account and not a fake profile, the company said.
 
“Lastly, Kehmistry employs a yellow/ red card system to ensure a safe and fun environment,” Shanker told DNA.
 
“Anyone can report and ban another user, and once a user has three yellow cards, they are red-carded or permanently banned from the system, subject to review and moderation.
 
“And because they have signed up using their mobile number and Facebook account, they will be blocked off permanently,” he added.
 
A key feature of the dating app will be its Kehmistry Class (pic), which offers content being curated and written for specific users.
 
“It’s designed to help create better lovers out there. These tips range from dining to first date tips, and even suggestions for dates. The idea here for Kehmistry is to act almost as a virtual wing-man or wing-woman to users,” Shanker said.
 
Kehmistry has since been launched on the Google Play store for Android users, while  the iOS version is expected to be launched soon.
 
“The roadmap for Kehmistry still points to the same direction – that we aspire to be the region’s top dating app. We’re also working on a few angles for the different markets right now,” said Shanker.
 
As part of its efforts to make a splash and garner a sizable user base, the company has partnered with local telco operator U Mobile for a ‘U Are My Valentine’ contest.
 
“This collaboration is exciting for us as U Mobile’s customers represent a unique target market that is highly relevant to Kehmistry,” said CEO Lim.
 
Shanker added that the partnership was a case of “great timing” for the team as it seeks to quickly establish itself in the market.
 
“With this campaign, we’re hoping to significantly boost our downloads and market presence in our relevant target segments. With the added publicity, we are also aiming to work with more brands for future partnerships and joint promotions.
 
“Beyond that, this boost in marketing presence and corresponding increase in number of downloads would definitely push up the profile of Kehmistry amongst potential investors too,” he said.
 
Kicking off on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14) and ending on March 15, the campaign features a contest which encourages U Mobile users to download the Kehmistry app for a chance to win prizes.
 
Users will need to get the app and start chatting with at least two people to qualify and send in the SMS short-code to participate in the contest, which offers prizes collectively worth RM30,000 (US$9,035).
 
Prizes include Samsung Galaxy Note 3s, hotel stays, dining vouchers, Uber private limousine rides and Sothys Malaysia products.
 
For more information, visit the Kehmistry Facebook Page here.
 
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