Valentine’s Day campaigns we’ve fell in love with

There’s a little irony in the fact that St Valentine, a Roman bishop and martyr, used to be primarily a patron saint of those suffering from mental illness and neurological disorders, not chocolate hearts and lovers - unless one of course sees love as a serious mental illness. Valentine's Day as we know it today started at some point in the early 19th century, it’s hard to pin the date exactly, but in 1822 Cadbury produced its first heart-shaped box of chocolates and around 1850 the first Valentine cards began to circulate in the United States.?

According to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, Americans are expected to spend $23.9 billion on Valentine's Day this year, that’s $2.1 billion more than last year, but still far from the record-breaking 2020 ($27.4 billion). Top spenders are Hongkong (102 EUR per person on average), followed by the United Kingdom (96 EUR), Ireland (92 EUR), United States (87 EUR) and Italy (84 EUR) (Source: Statista ). What’s important is that statistics indicate that worldwide we are going to celebrate this holiday almost as loudly as in the year before the pandemic.

In Poland, about one fifth of respondents declare that they will spend PLN 200 or more on Valentine's Day - that’s a sharp increase from last year’s 13%. According to the 2022 IPSOS’ research it’s a quite popular celebration amongst Poles - two-thirds of us are going to celebrate this day, regardless of age and/or the length of our relationship. The gift expectations however, don’t match the reality. Men see flowers as the most suitable Valentine’s Day gift, while women think diamonds are a girl's best friend.?

When it comes to romantic activities, Poles are homebodies. The top Valentine’s Day activities include: staying at home and watching a movie (how creative), staying at home and ordering takeaway, staying at home and cooking together, and staying at home and taking a bath together (much less comfortable than it sounds).?

It's no secret that February 14th is as much a day of love ... as it’s a day of love of shopping. And a harvest for retailers, who bend over backwards to attract customers. Let’s take a look at the most creative Valentine’s Day campaigns to find some inspiration.?

MeUndies - Match Me

At this point we are a little over all that pandemic jazz - we got used to talking over Zoom and planning our holidays like it’s a walk through a minefield (“Can we go there? Do we have our covid passport? What are their restrictions? Do we comply?”). But last year it was still a novelty, and an underwear producer, MeUndies, launched a campaign in which couples tell the viewers about how these past tough months have strengthened their relationships and empowered their love.?

Cadbury 5 Stars - Valentine’s Day Alibi

The celebration of love and romance can be all fun and games until you realize it’s not an experience that is a part of your life at the moment. In this case spending the whole day under a blanket seems like a reasonable pastime and the only celebration that makes sense is throwing a pity party for yourself. If only there was a way to get away from all this and stop hearing “What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?”. Indian brand Cadbury 5 Stars understands what it’s like to be single on February 14th and they offer a perfect alibi. The chocolate producer rented an island off the coast of Goa and renamed it “My cousin’s wedding”. Customers can partake in a competition to win a holiday on “My cousin’s wedding”, where there is no mobile phone coverage and the color red is banned. And if someone asks what their Valentine’s Day plans are - they don’t even have to lie. Brilliant!

Niluu - Fall in love with yourself

Niluu produces vegan friendly silk kimonos and loungewear. In their 2021 campaign they invited us for a self-date. We follow a woman wearing a Niluu kimono, who is clearly happy and relaxed. She has some me-time in a beautifully arranged hotel apartment, gets herself some flowers, writes herself a love note. There will be no suspense here, just a catchy French song in the background, stunning interiors and a woman who is happy with who she is - and this is true wisdom: Partners come and go, parents pass away, children move out and you are the only person who will be with you until the end. Love thyself!

Ryanair - Escape the nonsense

Ryanair, a European low-cost carrier, shows us a very typical story of a single man, overwhelmed with the Valentine’s Day nonsense. But he is in luck, the airline has a special offer for singles - 9.99 EUR for a single seat to many destinations. Simple and brilliant - and actually a really good, ready-to-use idea for a me-time weekend trip.?

KMart - Valentine’s Day dinner

Ah, puppy love. In this video we see a young boy, very excited about his Valentine’s Day dinner. He is putting on a nice shirt, decorating the table, cooking with KMart products. Who is he going to meet today? Maybe that girl whose picture he keeps on his dresser? Well… Surprise! He is going to celebrate this special day with his grandmother. We like this ad because it’s surprising, wholesome, inclusive, and it promotes nurturing intergenerational relationships.?

KFC x Deliveroo - Will Delive-roo be my Valentine?

Now, this is a great example of cross-brand cooperation, a trend that will only grow in the next few years. KFC teamed up with Deliveroo and prepared a special Valentine’s Day offer: couples could pre-order a special KFC bucket with a little gift - a quirky ring designed by a hip Singaporean designer, Genesis. The campaign was launched in 2020, just when the pandemic hit, so a home date sounded like a good idea, and the ring was something that was trending for a while on social media. In general, cross-brand collabs are something we should all pay attention to, as it’s a fantastic way to strengthen the tonality of a brand - choosing a partner with a similar vibe will send the right message about the brand's personality.

#IVYHEART - Adidas x Beyonce

We can’t forget the newest Valentine’s Day collaboration between Adidas and Beyonce’s athleisure brand Ivy Park. We don’t mention it because it’s an earth-shattering concept, but because it’s effective and it boosts sales. Collabs are one of the hottest trends that is only going to grow - just like celebrity brands. We see a shift here: influencers used to be seen as shills or loudspeakers for brands’ communication. Now celebs get more and more ownership over what the brand has to say and they get more powerful as digital creators.?

Need a proof? Kylie Jenner started her cosmetics brand in 2015 with just one $29 product. Now, as of February 2022, it has an estimated net worth of $1 billion. Let that sink in.?

Netflix - the Valentine’s Day Special

Netflix is famous for its almost proverbial inclusivity, both in their TV series and in their commercials. We got used to it in Europe and in the US, but according to Pew Research Center, only 37% of Indian citizens think that homosexuality should be accepted in society. Having this in mind, this 2019 Valentine’s Day campaign can be seen as a bold move. We see two young Indian men, both fans of Stranger Things, meet, fall in love and move in together. A wholesome, heart-warming love story, and maybe also a little dream about a different India, where you can love whomever you want. Good job, Netflix India.?

Yes - Who do you love?

In 2021 report “Believe in yourself. Poland 2021” researched asked men and women about their self confidence. The research used neurotechnology that helped differentiate declarations and beliefs. It turns out that 56% of women declare low self esteem, while 26% of women really believe in their own declarations.

Do we love ourselves? In their 2022 Valentine’s Day campaign, Yes, a Polish jewelry brand asked women to write down what and who they love. Easy! The women wrote down names of their parents and spouses and added food, dance, music and sport. None of them wrote their own name, even though they had a mirror in front of their face as a hint. A great reminder to love ourselves!

Droga5 - Ugly and Forgotten

Brits exchange around 25 million cards every Valentine’s Day. And of course, if there are animals on them, they are usually white doves, fluffy kittens and spaniel pups. A marketing agency Droga5 came up with these disarmingly ugly Valentine’s Day cards with endangered species, who are not lucky enough to be fluffy or cute. A profit from the sale of these cards went to NGOs supporting endangered animals. It’s not only the sad baboon or the goofy blobfish that stole our hearts - it’s the whole camp aesthetics in the style of the 80s.

Tips and hints

Feel inspired yet? Here you go, grab a bunch of tips on how to craft your perfect Valentine’s Day campaign.

1. Start early

Today it’s too late :) But bookmark this post, so that it comes in handy next year! At the beginning of February, the more thoughtful among us already start planning the celebrations, so give them the idea in late January and use remarketing for the next two weeks to help them make a decision.

2. Be inclusive

And this doesn’t only mean that you should acknowledge that gay couples exist. Think about the elderly, people with disabilities, or simply those, who want to celebrate love that is not romantic. Come on, Valentine’s Day is about love in every shape and form, let’s not make anybody feel left out!

3. Think about the singles…

In the European Union in 2020 almost half of households consisted of single adults (49.1 %), and just a third were households run by couples (34.6 %). In the USA 38% of millennials are single - that’s a large group that may feel alienated when everybody else is celebrating love. Take them into consideration - maybe you can find a whole new target group?

4. …and their pets.

Yes, really. Valentine’s Day gifts for pets are a real thing, go google. The National Retail Federation expects Americans to spend $1.189 billion on presents for their pets. And the global market for pet accessories is expected to reach $41.1 billion by 2025.?

5. Be sensitive

If we got a cent every time we saw a Tinder ad disguised as a genuine dating profile, we’d be sipping drinks with little umbrellas on a private island. Not cool, especially not cool on Valentine's Day. Make sure your ads are not confusing and that they don’t accidentally play with people’s emotions. Like Modern Talking used to sing: “Don’t play with my heart”.

6. Give them ideas and ready-to-use solutions

We might have written in the #1 of this list to plan early - because some of your customers do plan early. But many do not. It’s usually men who are looking for last-minute ideas to satisfy ladies of their hearts. And if they are frantically looking for a restaurant with free tables on February 13th. You can give them a hand by offering a ready-made solution. Are you a flower shop? Team up with a food delivery service and create a one-off special date delivery service. Do you run a fashion brand? Offer a date box: A pretty box tied with a ribbon, with a dress and pair of earrings inside for her to wear on a date. (Isn’t it something every woman would like to get at one point - a dress, earrings and a note “Honey, wear this and be ready for 7 pm, I love you”?).

7. Don’t forget about Galentine’s Day!

Sisters over misters! Galentine's Day originated in the TV series “Parks and Recreation”, where one of the main characters, Leslie Knope invited her girlfriends to show them how important their friendship was. This trend took hold, and it fits in with the trends of sisterhood and female strength. In the difficult to navigate universe of love and romance often it’s the friends who are there for us and offer a shoulder to cry on.

8. Don’t be boring

This is the first and only marketing rule that we shouldn’t even need to write about here. However, it happens over and over again, even big brands with big budgets go for lazy marketing and just put a pretty white heterosexual couple on their creatives and sprinkle them with red hearts. Really? On February 14th lovebirds and red hearts will be everywhere, from toilet paper to home repair items, how is your brand supposed to stand out? We don’t like to point fingers and kick brands when they are down, but look at the campaign of one of the biggest Polish jewellery retailers:

Sigh. Come to us, Apart, we have a junior creative copywriter, who will do it better.

9. It’s not always February 14th

Although we all live in a globalized world, it’s worth remembering that not everybody celebrates Valentine’s Day. In some countries it’s simply not a big deal, in some other ones - there are other festivals. In China, for example, it's Qixi Festival and it’s celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar - that’s roughly in August. Pay attention to local traditions, especially if you are promoting your brand in multiple markets.?