Redefining Romance for Valentine's Day

How Indian brands sharpened Cupid's Arrow

In India, Valentine's Day is one of the very few annual events, which has been seeing imaginative ways of promoting all the products related to it. In 2025 Valentine's Day advertising has taken a fascinating turn.

It seems that the era of predictable, heart-filled campaigns is slowly fading, making room for more diverse, humorous, and inclusive narratives. Whether it was celebrating self-love, mocking the occasion altogether, or redefining intimacy, brands broke the mold this year.

How did the Brands shape up the major trends? Read on...

Traditional Romantic Gifting & Celebration

First of all, let's be clear...! Despite the evolving landscape, some brands stuck to the classics.

Mia by Tanishq celebrated love through real-life couple Dinesh Karthik and Dipika Pallikal, reinforcing the idea of meaningful gifting. IGP kept it traditional with roses, teddy bears, and chocolates, while Vaaree turned home décor into a bonding experience for couples. Zepto made gifting more accessible with a campaign celebrating all love stories, ensuring that romance still had its place. BookMyShow launched #SpreadTheJoy, encouraging small acts of kindness, such as gifting a stranger at a cinema, reinforcing the theme of spreading happiness beyond romantic relationships.

Anti-Valentine’s & Self-Love

Several brands outright rejected Valentine’s Day in favor of humor and self-appreciation. Cadbury 5-Star led the charge with its Destroying Valentine’s Day campaign, recruiting ‘uncles’ to flood the celebrations and make couples cringe. Sunfeast Fantastik! encouraged consumers to Dump Your Ex-Cess, a campaign designed to help people move on from past relationships. RedBus rewarded singlehood with free solo trips, while Niyo gave a humorous take on self-love with an ad featuring the Eiffel Tower tired of romantic couples. Ajio, through its Me Day campaign, leveraged Gen Z’s language and mindset to encourage celebrating oneself rather than searching for external validation. The success of these campaigns highlighted how brands are actively embracing shifting societal attitudes toward relationships and personal happiness.

Expanding Love Beyond Romance

Some brands moved beyond romantic relationships, celebrating love in all its forms. Swiggy Instamart, with Tusshar Kapoor at the helm, showed that gifts aren’t just for partners—they’re for everyone you love. BookMyShow encouraged acts of kindness with its #SpreadTheJoy campaign, while Wiggles positioned pets as the perfect Valentine’s Day companions. Hyundai India focused on the emotional act of “showing up” with its #PickYouUp campaign, highlighting love for friends and family. Myntra also joined in, promoting their fast-delivery feature by showcasing last-minute thoughtful gifts, reinforcing that love should be expressed in a meaningful way regardless of who it is for.

Fast Delivery & Last-Minute Gifting

The rise of quick commerce was unmissable. Myntra’s Break Up with Basic campaign pushed shoppers to choose more thoughtful gifts, while Zepto made last-minute shopping effortless with curated gift selections. Blinkit tailored its UI to different relationship stages, ensuring that no matter what kind of love you were celebrating, there was a perfect (and instantly available) gift. Additionally, Blinkit and Zepto strategically enhanced their app interfaces to prominently feature sexual wellness products, chocolates, and flowers, ensuring quick access to Valentine’s-themed essentials for spontaneous shoppers.

Sexual Wellness & Modern Intimacy

In a major shift, sexual wellness brands openly embraced Valentine’s Day, breaking taboos and normalizing conversations around intimacy. MyMuse launched the Dil-Do campaign, using Bollywood-inspired humor to make self-intimacy a part of mainstream dialogue. Peppy featured Bhuvan Bam in a witty ad, while That Sassy Thing focused on women’s self-pleasure with its Crushing on Me campaign. TTK Healthcare’s Love Depot expanded into regional markets with vernacular messaging, making pleasure an accessible conversation across demographics. Quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit and Zepto gave high visibility to pleasure products, ensuring discreet and fast purchases, further contributing to the normalization of the category.

Additionally, Love Depot launched The Great Indian Pleasure Fest, which positioned intimacy products as mainstream purchases much like skincare or wellness items. The brand’s push to normalize these conversations through influencer collaborations and multilingual campaigns reflected the growing acceptance of sexual wellness in Indian advertising.

Final Thoughts

If 2025’s campaigns taught us anything, it’s that Valentine’s Day marketing is no longer just about couples. Brands are adapting to shifting cultural sentiments, moving beyond clichés, and finding fresh ways to engage audiences. Whether it’s humor, inclusivity, or redefining love, one thing is clear—the old playbook is out, and the new one is far more interesting.

Looking ahead, we can expect:

1. More Inclusive Storytelling: Campaigns that celebrate diverse forms of love, including friendships, self-love, and family bonds.
2. Hyper-Personalized Gifting: AI-driven insights helping brands suggest customized gifts for different relationships and preferences.
3. Bolder Conversations on Intimacy: More sexual wellness brands entering the mainstream with educational, humorous, and relatable messaging.
4. Greater Integration of Quick Commerce: Even faster, more intuitive shopping experiences catering to last-minute planners.

Valentine’s Day marketing in India is evolving faster than ever, and brands that continue to innovate will stay ahead of the curve.