LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO/PRNewswire/ --
Lulu, the girls-only app for reviewing the guys in your life (yeah, you read that right!), had a record-breaking first week, reaching the Top 20 in the US App Store with over 100,000 downloads.
On Lulu, girls review guys on appearance, humor, manners, ambition, first kiss, sex, and commitment. They also use cheeky hashtags like #CleanBathroom and #NerdyButILikeIt to supplement guys' profiles. A pass of Lulu might teach a girl some need-to-know info, like how her crush is #CheaperThanABigMac, or some hilarious but erase-that-from-my-brain info, like how her cousin is a #SexualPanther. The Lulu dashboard constantly refreshes, so the average user comes back multiple times daily to see the latest updates.
Not surprisingly, thousands of guys have tried to sneak in and see what girls are saying about them. They go to elaborate lengths, too! But each time, they are met with Lulu's now-famous rejection: "Dude, you're a dude." Guys shouldn't worry too much, though. The vast majority of reviews are positive - ex-girlfriends, sisters, and friends helping other girls discover guys they believe are keepers.
The perfect app for Valentine's Day
The timing of the launch couldn't be better, since Lulu CEO and Founder Alexandra Chong actually came up with the idea for Lulu on Valentine's Day -- after a particularly bittersweet date. The guy was perfect! Just not perfect for her. And Alexandra realized that girls needed a place to sing the praises of guys they adored, just not like that - hey, one woman's frog?
In that spirit, Alexandra hopes that girls will spread the wealth this Valentine's Day. She urges every user to review and recommend one good guy for the benefit of "all the single ladies" out there. If he #BelievesInLove and #WillSeeRomComs, put him on Lulu!
Alexandra and her team are also releasing a set of limited edition Valentine's Day hashtags, so girls can review their dates the morning after: #CupidInFullEffect, #HeInventedSex... Here's hoping no girl has to select #Didn'tEvenText.
Lighthearted and private fun
With hashtags like #SmellsAmazeballs and #GoneByMorning, the app perfectly captures the way girls talk, and the things that matter most to them. Even guys are getting in on the fun, taking to Twitter to boast about their #SweetThreads or #StrongHands.
For the record, Lulu does not let girls review guys' penis size or income. When it comes to sensitive matters like those, the most outrageous Lulu ever gets is a sly reference to #Big.Feet or #TrumpInTraining.
Available on iOS and Android platforms, you can log into Lulu via your Facebook account, but Lulu NEVER posts to Facebook. All girls are always anonymous on Lulu, and their activities are always private.
Website: http://www.onlulu.com
Twitter: @on_lulu
About Alexandra Chong
The daughter of a Chinese-Jamaican father and a Canadian mother, Alexandra grew up in Ocho Rios, a small beach town in Jamaica. An avid tennis player since the age of 6, Alexandra later went on to represent her native Jamaica on the world tennis scene as part of the Jamaican Olympic Team and the Federation Cup team.
Alexandra studied Law at the London School of Economics. She then joined the pioneering music licensing company Ricall, where she helped make it more efficient to clear music permissions for television advertising. Inspired by the drive and entrepreneurial energy around her, Alexandra knew from that moment that she wanted to launch her own venture.
About Lulu
Lulu is the smart girl's app for private reviews and recommendations of guys.
Lulu takes its cues from the real world: we meet a guy and think he's cute, but want to know if he's the dreamboat he appears to be or every girl's worst nightmare. So we ask our girlfriends, and look him up on Facebook and Google. It's a private, fun ritual we all indulge in, often complicated by the fact that we don't want the guy to know we're checking out his creds. We created Lulu to give girls another useful tool to date more intelligently.
Unlike most apps and social networks, your Lulu experience is totally private. Your activity is always anonymous. Lulu never mentions girls' names and Lulu never posts to Facebook.
Through Lulu, you can read and write reviews of guys, which are pulled from a variety of tools, questionnaires, and fun features. The vast majority of reviews are positive - ex-girlfriends, sisters, and friends helping other girls discover the guys they believe are keepers.
At the end of the day, Lulu is all about encouraging good, gentlemanly behavior, and providing a platform that makes girls' research easier and more fun. Ultimately, we see Lulu as a private network dedicated to girls and relationships, providing an online extension and enhancement of the kind of information and support that girls provide each other in real life.
FAQs:
How does Lulu use Facebook?
We use Facebook in three ways. First, it helps us keep the boys out. Second, it makes registration super easy for you. Third, it helps us create a totally relevant experience for you because we can feature guys you know in the database.
We find the guy a girl is looking for on Lulu using her Facebook social graph and search. If she wishes, she can create a Lulu profile for him by choosing a photo and adding his name to our database. This means he can now be reviewed by her and by other girls on Lulu.
We will NEVER post to Facebook.
Am I visible to others on Lulu?
You are always anonymous on Lulu. You are only visible to friends whom you have invited to join you on Lulu or friends who are part of your list of contacts.
What is a Review?
A Review is a pre-set quiz that allows a girl to review a guy she knows. Lulu is not a place to trash-talk guys or a forum for vindictive ex-girlfriends to divulge deep, dark secrets. Lulu Reviews put the emphasis on collective wisdom, using hilarious but informed quizzes to help girls review the guys they know.
At the end of the day, Lulu is all about encouraging good, gentlemanly behavior. Our categories aren't gross or mean (we're not judging penis or bank account size).
Who sees Reviews?
All Reviews are created anonymously. Your name is never attached to the Review. No one will know you created that Review.
Can a guy find out if I reviewed him on Lulu?
No. When you create a Review, we never attach your name to the Review.
Are Reviews trustworthy?
Reviews are based on the subjective experiences of the members of our community. We encourage you to be truthful so that women everywhere can benefit from the collective wisdom of our community. We created this database to make us smart about men.
When should I create a Review?
First, create Reviews for great guys. If a guy brings you chicken soup when you're sick, is the most supportive brother ever, or is an awesome ex whom you're still friends with-other girls will want to know this. Get the word out and pay it forward.
Second, if he's the kind of guy who only texts for booty calls or tells bad, offensive jokes, other girls will want to know this, too.
What is LuluDude?
LuluDude is a separate app we created for the boys because we block them from accessing Lulu.
LuluDude is where guys can manage and edit their profiles, which are visible on Lulu.
On LuluDude, guys can edit their relationship status, add profile pictures and use hashtags to describe their best (and worst) qualities and their turn-ons (and turn-offs) as well as request reviews from girls. LuluDude is not an app for guys to review girls.
For more information or interview requests, please e-mail info@onlulu.com