What Happened to Realage?

How old are you? Most people would answer without thinking twice. In fact, if you were to stop to think about your answer, some people would think twice before they trusted you! RealAge.com approached this question from a different perspective. It argued that your real age does not depend on the number of years you have been alive but on your health, habits, and family lineage.

If that approach to healthy aging appeals to you, you might want to turn to your web browser to read more. But, unfortunately, you would quickly find that RealAge.com is no longer exists. A simple “page not found” message awaits you.

The Intrigue in the Disappearance

While it is not surprising when websites come and go on the internet, there are three reasons that RealAge.com’s disappearance is interesting:

• It was popular: the site reported that at its peak, around 29 million people took the “RealAge Test”. The test made use of an algorithm that collected information about an individual’s medical and family history and health habits. It combined this information with medical research to calculate their “RealAge”.
• It was profitable: It had a strong business model funded by drug companies that paid it to collect information from the people that took its survey. It would then send these people marketing messages which were relevant to their needs.
• It had a celebrity power: com had Dr. Oz, the man who is popularly known as the “American Doctor” and a regular guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, as its spokesperson.

Why Did it Disappear?

A site as popular as RealAge.com does not usually just disappear without a reason. To get an idea of what really happened to it, we went out looking for its full story.

The Business Behind the Website

RealAge.com was involved in the business of collecting information from visitors through a 150 question test called the RealAge Test. Using the information collected about an individual’s lifestyle, family history, and other habits, the website was able to determine an individual’s “biological age”.

The biological age is the opposite of the chronological age, which measures the number of years you have been alive. Rather, your biological age is how old you look. It is based on your health and fitness. An individual’s biological age can be lower or higher than their chronological age.

While the company ostensibly promoted known medical solutions, it also collected a lot of money from drug companies. A report in the New York Times alleged that pharmaceutical companies paid RealAge to compile test results and then send targeted email marketing messages to individuals.

The Brains Behind RealAge

RealAge.com was established in 1999 by Michael Fredric Roizen. Born on January 7, 1946, Michael grew up to become a distinguished internist and anesthesiologist. An internist is a doctor responsible for diagnosing and treating adults using methods that do not involve surgery. An anesthesiologist is a doctor who specializes in providing care before and after surgery.

Even though Dr. Roizen would be catapulted into prominence after developing RealAge.com, he had already distinguished himself before this. He had worked as the chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic. He has also authored or worked in collaboration with other writers to produce five volumes that have made it into the New York Times Best Seller list.

Dr. Roizen’s other accomplishments are equally impressive. He is the man who invented the drug Relistor. It is used to mitigate some of the side effects of drugs used in reducing pain, including in anesthesia. He is also the author of over 100 chapters in medical texts and 165 peer-reviewed publications.

In the US, Dr. Roizen has received appreciation for encouraging people to live healthier lifestyles. He has often been quoted for calling out politicians who misuse public health funds.

Changing Hands

Over the years, RealAge.com came to have access to one of the most important assets in the modern world: customer information. In 2007, Hearst Magazines realized the potential of the company and made an offer estimated at between $60 and $70 million. At the time of the acquisition, RealAge.com was profitable and is estimated to have been holding about $20 million in its books.

On March 12, 2012, Sharecare, the interactive health, and wellness platform announced that it had acquired RealAge.com.

What Then Happened to RealAge.com

Even though searching RealAge.com no longer leads to a website, a careful search on the internet shows that its central concept, the RealAge Test, and the health services it provides are still available.

The test has now become a part of the registration process on Sharecare’s website. Sharecare reports that its acquisition of RealAge was a strategic move aimed at taking advantage of the formerÕs massive knowledge and insights about the health behavior of consumers.

Speaking about the acquisition, Jeff Arnold, the Chairman, and CEO of Sharecare said, “This acquisition represents another strategic step that advances our business model and provides consumers with the tools, the social network and the motivation to accelerate their efforts to positively transform their lives.” This is also be coupled with bringing together an interactive community of caregivers and providers of health care services. For instance, the company reports that this acquisition gives consumers access to more than 400,000 physicians.

At one point the company expected that the merger of Sharecare and RealAge.com would make the resource one of the internet’s top 10 visited sites.

In terms of answering our main question, it appears that RealAge.com fell victim to an event that is common when companies get acquired and then re-acquired. Older assets, no matter their value, often get ignored and fall into disrepair.

Wrap Up

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