The History of Matrimonial Ads

Marriage Classifieds or Matrimonial ads in newspapers are very popular and page after page of such ads can be seen in popular newspapers throughout the country especially on Sundays. While the Generation Z is more inclined towards the internet and social media to date and find their match, meanwhile their parents and elders still trust the age old newspaper when it comes to arranged marriage. This confidence in newspapers for match-making service is a result of newspaper’s reach and circulation and antiquity of the method to find a good bride or groom.

The tradition of match-making through newspaper advertisement is very old and can be traced back to 1600s when the first news pamphlets came into existence in Europe. These one or two advertisements were actually from match-makers who facilitated a bachelor to search for his partner through ads in weekly newspapers. By the next hundred years, with the birth of the modern newspaper, the first matrimonial service was created. These were matrimonial agencies publishing ads in weeklies and dailies for people looking to find their husband or wife. At that time publishing matrimonial ads were frowned upon. Publishing a matrimonial advertisement in the newspaper was considered undignified and the last option for those unsuccessful men and women who have passed their age and were yet to find a partner.

Early matrimonial ads were usually from men looking for a bride and we see such ads for Brides in the newspapers of England and the U.S.  By mid 19th Century, matrimonial ads were quite common in newspapers of Regency and Victorian period Britain. Placing a matrimonial advertisement in the newspaper was an alternative to traditional courtship. Also, it was helpful for those gentlemen who were new to an area without any family or social connection to get introduced to a suitable partner. The usual contact details in these matrimonial ads were always those of a third party who would negotiate between the advertiser and his/ her applicant to maintain secrecy.  

With the progress of the 19th Century, matrimonial advertisements gained popularity and special matrimonial periodicals began to be published like Matrimonial News and the Matrimonial Intelligencer. These publications were fully dedicated to finding suitable matches. 

Although, the concept of publishing matrimonial ads in newspapers did not originate in India but we have very well utilized this service for almost hundred years now. Indians, who traditionally relied upon family match-makers to find a suitable partner for their sons or daughters, began to publish newspaper matrimonial classifieds during the period of 1930s. These families were usually urban and educated working class. We can find examples of advertisements like: “Wanted beautiful gori girl” or “looking for a slim and fair girl from a cultured family” in 1930s and 1940s Hindustan Times and Times of India.

HT Matrimonial

 During the 1960s, popular requests in matrimonial ads in Indian newspapers were “required family with connections” and “grooms in government service”. Finding match within the same religion, caste or community has been an integral part of Indian matrimonial ads but in the 1980s and 1990s, social status began to be determined by education as there were high demands for doctors, engineers and NRIs.

Bhaskar Matrimony Ads

With the advent of the age of the World Wide Web and by the year 2000, the internet became a household tool. E-commerce flourished and just like any other service, matrimonial advertisements became online. Various match-making services started their websites and various newspapers, mostly vernacular regional ones, went ahead and started providing matrimonial match-making services for the community. At one point, with the boom of e-services, the existence of newspaper matrimonial classifieds was threatened.      

Times of India Matrimonial

In 2009, releaseMyAd was conceived. It was an online platform to publish matrimonial classified ads in newspapers. Being an innovative concept, it was a successful union between the power of the internet and the traditional medium of finding matches in the newspaper through classified sections. Since then, it has served over 3 lakhs customers and because of its transparent matrimonial section rates of over 100 newspapers throughout India and hassle free booking system, releaseMyAd has become a leader in the industry.

Matrimonial Advertisement

releaseMyAd, being a self serve platform has relentlessly developed its portal so that advertisers can have an enjoyable experience while booking an ad with just a few mouse clicks. To book a matrimonial ad in any newspaper throughout India, one has to simply click on the link https://www.releasemyad.com/newspaper-advertisement and proceed. releaseMyAd also has a remarkable customer support team which can help an advertiser wherever they have any question or are facing an issue during the booking process. The team can be reached through the Phone/ WhatsApp number 9830629298 or email to book@releasemyad.com. One can also reach the support desk through 24X7 Live Chat support on the website. 

What are The Most Popular Advertising Categories for Classifieds?

As mentioned in lesson 3 of this module, budget and objective are the deciding factors for the type of advertisement an advertiser intends to publish. Based on these factors, there are certain ad categories which are particularly popular under the classified section rather than in the display ad format.

The reason behind the popularity of these classified categories is the objective which they intend to meet. Some of them are individual ads for personal references or meeting official requirements of individuals, while some of them are conditioned by the budget of the advertiser.

The list of popular Classified Ads is provided as follows.

Matrimonial

All matrimonial match seekers who advertise in newspaperMatrimonial Classifieds only prefer the classified ad format and it is the most frequent classified ad category under which ads are booked. It can be a text ad or a classified display consisting of an image of the prospective bride or groom. The reason matrimonial advertisers choose the classified ad format is that these ads are published predominantly by parents and other family individuals and can be referred to as personal individual advertisements.

RecruitmentRecruitment Classifieds

Many of you may wonder that recruitment advertisements are more popular in the display format, but it is also quite popular category under classifieds. Most small and medium businesses fulfil their recruitment requirements with classified ‘Situation Vacant’ advertisements. Even individuals seeking jobs often advertise in the recruitment section under the sub-category of ‘Situation Wanted’, wherein, job seekers mention their qualifications and skills requesting a profile matching them.

ObituaryObituary Classified

Obituary advertisements are generally released in the Classified Display format which enables advertisers to include images of the deceased and messages of their choice at a much lesser price than display ads. Remembrances, funeral invitations and even condolence messages are conveyed through classified text or classified display advertisement as per the budget of the advertiser.

Property

By property ads here, we do not mean real estate projects but advertisements for sale, purchase and rent out individual homes, flats or apartments. Brokers, landlords and Individual property owners constitute 100% of the classified property advertisers across all Indian newspapers.

BusinessBusiness Ads on Newspaper

Every business house has certain budget constraints, based on which they pick their mode of advertising. Since 8 times out of 10, newspaper advertising is the first choice of all business promotional campaigns, many small and medium sized businesses choose to advertise under the classified format. Sales promotions, Business Proposals/offers or even seeking Business partners are done through classified advertisements.

Announcements

Classified Announcement Advertisements are the most common category of classified ads following matrimonial ads. Most announcements are made by individuals, which include personal declarations such as Name Change, Address Change, Lost & Found, legal notifications, marriage notices etc. All these announcements are specifically published in the classified text format as they are mainly meant for personal or government references as a testimony to change in certain personal details of a resident of the country. These are crucial announcements and need to be based which can’t be done away with, therefore to save money, people pick the text format for such ads.

Public Notice and Tenders

Public notices and Tender ads are also a type of public announcement, wherein the public is notified about changes brought about by rules, regulations, contract requirements, laws or anything associated with the government. This ad category is generally published in the Classified Display format, as most newspapers do not facilitate publishing public notices or tender ads in the text format. Also, since such ads have a lot of information to fit into a simple run-on line ad, it is more reasonable to publish them under the display classified format.

EducationEducation Advertisement

Contrary to popular belief, education ads are not limited to admission notices which are more often seen in the display format. There are numerous education adverts that are published in the classified ad format. These classifieds include adverts for introducing or promoting Coaching Classes & Private Tutors. Coaching centres generally have the limited budget since they have a very limited number of students while private tutors are predominantly individuals, which is why they opt for the classified format.

Personal

Last but not the least, almost all personal messages are conveyed through classified newspaper advertisements. Be it birthday greetings, season’s greetings, anniversaries, personal achievements, announcements about pets and animals or simple letters to friends and folks, all are conveyed via classified ads. The only reason behind this is that these are individual ads and individuals cannot afford display ad charges.

It is quite evident that most advertisers who pick classified advertisements are either individuals or have budget constraints. It is for this purpose that the format of display classifieds was introduced as something that has the features of a display ad with certain limitations pertaining to cost and fits in the budget of most newspaper advertisers.