Valentine’s Day – a day of love, hearts, red, and… marketing?
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of ad campaigns from brands taking advantage of VDay, you’re not alone. Plenty of companies use holidays to boost brand awareness by playing on the theme of love. It’s a special day, after all, and these companies want you to feel good (just, you know, using their stuff).
It’s a different perspective if you’re a marketer, though. Instead, you’re more focused on maximizing your brand’s returns and conversions on this lovey-dovey day. You want to stand out from the barrage of pink and hearts so that people remember your brand’s name.
Easier said than done, though.
Need some inspiration for your Valentine’s Day marketing campaign? Here are some strategies that went viral in recent years to get you going.
Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns for Inspiration
From quirky billboards to video ads, companies are getting creative with their Valentine’s Day advertising. It just goes to show that there’s no single way to capture your audience’s attention.
Twitter (2020)
Twitter is an enormous social media platform with a very creative team handling its marketing initiatives. In 2020, the site decided to put a humourous twist on its Valentine’s Day ads by turning funny, relationship-related tweets into posters. They then displayed these posters on billboards and subway ads in the U.S. and UK.
Some examples of tweets included “Gonna date myself in 2020.” and “*gets ghosted* Me: thank you for the 15-day free trial”. Twitter UK’s director of planning David Wilding said that the most “honest and real” dating stories aren’t in romcoms or magazines, but in the Twitter dating sphere.
Ford (2015)
Speed dating isn’t an uncommon trope to play with in VDay campaigns, but in 2015, Ford added their own unique twist. They hired a gorgeous professional stunt driver and had unsuspecting men meet her on blind dates. They’d leave in her red 2015 Ford Mustang, which they’d offer to drive – but boy, were they in for a surprise.
The ad puts a humourous spin on some outdated gender stereotypes, and after a while, all the men were enjoying the prank. The ad captures a funny and adventurous first date… although of course, viewers are advised not to replicate the prank in real life.
Cadbury 5 Star (2021)
This one goes out to the singles out there who feel out of place on the day of love. Cadbury presented an ad called “The Valentine’s Day Alibi” where the brand gave single people the best gift: a way out of being bombarded with hearts. Consumers had a chance to win a holiday to an island renamed “My Cousin’s Wedding” – so when asked for their VDay plans, they could just say “out of town at My Cousin’s Wedding!”
The brand ramped up the humour, declaring that red was prohibited on the island and jamming mobile signal so singles could enjoy being “as far away from Valentine’s Day as humanly possible.” It’s funny and relatable, and definitely made people get more chocolate… for themselves!
Pandora (2022)
Valentine’s Day is popular for grand gestures of love, but what keeps a relationship going are little acts of affection. In 2022, Pandora chose to highlight these “everyday moments” that are treasured forever – and that for every moment, there is a perfect piece of Pandora jewellery.
The ad itself shows different couples performing kind acts for each other that aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. It’s a nice way to highlight that these gestures of affection shouldn’t be limited to one day a year… and to highlight that you can get your loved one some Pandora jewelry as a sign of adoration.
Tinder x Spotify (2021)
Tinder is already a hotspot on Valentine’s Day for those looking for a sweet date. But in 2021, its partnership with big-time music platform Spotify amped things up. The dating app found that if a user added an “anthem” – a featured song – to their profile, it got them more matches. After all, music is the number one interest listed on profiles.
Given that, Tinder linked up with Spotify to create playlists with top-rated love songs and podcasts. They compiled the top 10 anthems found on Tinder profiles, plus the top songs added to Spotify VDay-themed playlists. Then they also recommended love-themed podcasts that talked about people’s journeys in love.
Market the Love
The best brands take advantage of special occasions to increase their appeal to consumers and raise awareness. Companies can spend billions of dollars on advertising to outdo their competitors and make themselves memorable. As shown by these adverts, cheesy messages aren’t going to cut it anymore; as a brand, you’ll need to get creative to appeal to your target audience on the Day of Love.
No matter the industry, here at Kika Marketing, we’ll find the right concept for your Valentine’s Day marketing campaign. Our expertise and experience mean we can create unique and unforgettable ads for Heart’s Day – and every other holiday too!
Contact Kika today for a free marketing consultation.
