Play SCORE and Date the Smart Way
TWO MIAMI AD SCHOOL GRADS CREATE SCORE, A MOBILE DATING APP THAT IS THE ULTIMATE ICEBREAKER.
“When we date these days it’s not our chances which are keeping us apart, it’s the way that we take those chances. We pick a date with our eyes closed and our fingers crossed. Apptigo is determined to change that.”
Score is a dating app that mimics the way the real dating game is played. You meet someone, ask questions, find out mundane information about them and decide if you want to see them again. David Steinberg and Casey Cordes, Apptigo Co-Founders, dreamed up a way to make dating all about personality. It’s a game. It’s the ultimate icebreaker. This app may lead to your next date, boyfriend/girlfriend or even your next marriage proposal.
A Few Qs And As From The Guys Who Made It Happen.
These last few months have been busy for you.
What made you start apptigo?
D: We grew tired working in the advertising space and found more passion working with our own brands by creating applications that meet the need of the current market.
How did you start?
C: While in the middle of two jobs, we sat in David’s apartment for a week and just concepted, concepted, concepted, like we did in the old days at Miami Ad School. From there, we got five solid app ideas. We then went back to our regular lives, but kept pushing and developing the concepts. Eventually, it became clear one was a big winner, and so we went with it, designed it, wrote it and eventually got lucky enough to pitch it to an investor, who fell in love with our app.
D: We jumped right into brainstorming. From there we chipped away the clutter and defined the tasks ahead. It’s about baby steps and a long term goal. Nothing grows fast overnight.
What is SCORE, for the people who haven’t played it yet?
C: Score is about personality above looks. Real personality. Profile pics are blurred, so you “Score” anonymously with others based off what they write about themselves, and that blurb appears over their pic. When you find someone who’s personality seems cool to you, you & that person each play a crazy 5-question game pulled from a list of 20 categories (1,000 questions total!) to get to the heart of how people really think. The categories include “Sexy Is”, “Give Me The Night”, “Vinyl Waxation” and “Deep”.
What was your inspiration?
C: We thought about how people connect in real life versus how they present themselves socially. We wanted to bridge that gap and bring people together in a way that would let them put their guard down, have fun, be safe and get to known others as they actually are. It’s like how people really speak at a bar; we wanted to capture that feeling you get five minutes into a conversation with someone new who you’re connecting with and are getting that great tingly feeling about. Which is the ultimate Score.
D: To create beautiful products that help other people and make their lives more interesting. I like our products to touch other people’s lives.
Who came up with the questions? (Some are super funny)
C: SOME?!? We kid! Sort of. But seriously, I wrote about 98% or so of them, and another former Miami Ad School grad helped with the rest, as well and did some great editing for us. Our joke is that while other dating questions are written by a team of top social scientists, ours were written by those peeps sitting at the end of the bar.
D: 100% credit goes like always to the copywriter. Casey rocked those. I design and make things pretty 😉
How do you get celebrities like Amanda Jean to play? How many celebrities have you had so far? Anyone super cool?
C: The great thing about working in this business is you meet a lot of great people. Relationships lead to real opportunities, and we got to know a music marketing firm who has a lot of great “celeb” connections in LA. With their help, we will be having a number of reality TV stars such as Chris Garver (Miami Ink) & Caroline Burt (Kardashians Take the Hamptons), Internet famous folks like YouTube star Bryan Stars, “adult” model Jessie Lee, tattoo model Sabina Kelley & musicians such as Ashley Purdy (Black Veil Brides) & Danny Worsnop (We Are Harlot). And we just may have a few more surprises yet to come…
D: The idea was to create a viral event. 30 Days of Score is our version of getting people to know the app. We have 30 stars from any kind of industry. From world famous tattoo artists to porn stars. You pick your favorite 😉
So, you can randomly pick someone near you to play with…I’m not sure how I feel about the exact location feature….thoughts?
C: Nor are we. Which is why we give people four options, one of which Tinder just this week copied! We’re flattered! You can set your location to “Exact” or 100 feet from where you are, or 1,000 feet from where you are or you can set your pin anywhere in the world you want yourself to be seen as being in. We actually have people who have set themselves in the middle of the ocean. This also means you can set yourself in your favorite bar, or at a beach, or in a city you’ll be visiting next week.
Seriously, the copy had me laughing then actually thinking. I am anxiously waiting for my “SCORE” to come back. Has anyone told you yet that they met their future hubby or wife on your app yet?
C: Thankfully, no, as we just launched this version at the start of January, and that quick of a marriage would most likely lead to divorce, even though our App is that awesome. But in time….
D: Not yet but that would be wonderful.
Some people may want to start app companies, what is your advice?
C: Programmers. Programmers. Programmers. Find them. Vet them. Vet them very, very well. They are not like you & me. Get to know them & how they work. Without good programmers, you have nothing, no matter how great your app concept & design may be. Programmers are everything. And after that, have a master plan. Making apps involves so much more than making apps.
D: Don’t think about it unless you’ve moved your product / company into a revenue generating machine. We’ve experienced a very steep learning curve in our first year. But since we went this route we are now thriving.
Were you partners in school?
D: No, Casey was one or two quarters ahead of me and he was taking copywriting courses. I was in digital graphic design. We only meet at those amazing school parties. Our paths crossed again a year after school.
Since you are Miami Ad School Grads, what is your best advice to students on…
Careers
D: It depends on why type of career you want. Going into a big shop can be rewarding if you play the game well. Going into your own business is tough. Buckle up and grind it out. Do great work. Be honest and a good person. You’ll succeed for sure. After all life is a people business.
Not eating ramen after graduation
C: It’s like going back and watching your favorite movie from when you were twelve. You just don’t do it. You’re not in the same place anymore. Unless, of course, it’s 3 am, you are in real need of grub, and that is your only option. Then all is forgiven.
Is there really money in creating apps (You know they’re curious)
C: Fun numbers to think about: Clash of Clones is making around $1.8 million…a day. Tinder was getting 50,000 downloads a day for months. That Super Mario rip-off “free” app was making $50,000 a day off the banner ads. This is a billion-dollar industry just in the dating apps alone. But everyone is doing it and Apple plays favorites. You need to do more than think of a great app, you need to have a great way to sell it!
D: WhatsApp sold for 18 billion. I guess you can make yourself very happy if you strike gold.
Are you hiring?
C: We love talent and are always looking to talk to Miami Ad School grads.
Start dating the right way! Download the Score App now!