NEW YORK — Archer, Match Group’s new dating app for gay, bisexual and queer men, has named Astrsk its PR agency of record, charging the firm with driving interest in the platform as it rolls out across the country over the next year.

Astrsk is responsible with building out the go-to-market communications for Archer, which launched today. The app will be available in New York City throughout the summer and roll out in Los Angeles, Washington and ultimately nationally within a year.

“I began speaking with different communication firms in October to prepare for this launch. From the very beginning, I knew that Astrsk, a queer-owned agency based in New York City, was the right fit for Archer. Elliot Tomaeno, Lisa Horton and the entire Astrsk team have been incredible partners since day one,” said Michael Kaye, who is overseeing brand marketing & communications for Archer while maintaining his role as OkCupid’s global comms leader.

Astrsk is one of four Archer agency partners. The others are The Working Assembly, which is working on the app’s verbal and visual identity; Influentialfor our influencer marketing; and Target 10, which serves as LGBTQ+ marketing consultants.

Archer’s Thursday debut was a year or so in the making, during which Match (which also owns OkCupid) developed the app to be a safe and inclusive community for gay, bisexual and queer men.

"The opportunity to work with Archer immediately checked all of the boxes for the type of brands we aim to partner with — innovative, inclusive, creative and primed to shake up the industry,” said Astrsk founder and CEO Elliot Tomaeno. “As a gay-owned PR agency, we couldn’t be more proud to help tell its story. A story that deeply resonates with us as community members, it's providing much-needed solutions and options.

“We believe that Archer will change how gay and queer men date, meet people and create communities. Most importantly, it will save lives thanks to the incredible safety measures the team has put in place,” Tomaeno said.

 

<