Roses are red, violets are blue...I was meant to write an in-depth blog post on the psychology behind social media PDAs… but this one will do.  

Alright, let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday created to prey on the rejuvenated wallets of the sickly sweet or the supremely single. Flowers, chocolates, cards, dinner reservations, wines, ice-creams, city-breaks, heart breaks and weird candy-themed wearables have the hopeless romantics among us reaching for the piggy bank with the misguided notion of a spectacular Jerry Maguire-esque finale. 

(“Shut up… just shut up… you… you had me at hello!”) 

Whatever your feelings towards Valentine’s Day, you can’t argue that it has spending power. Lots of it. So obviously brands left, right and centre will jump at the opportunity to grab at your hard-earned coffers. (Is that an innuendo?!). Some play to singles, others to couples, others to people who have Instagram accounts for their pets. 

Here are some great examples of romance or Valentine’s themed social campaigns that caught our attention: 

1. Amazon Dating, sorta… 

Alright, it’s not actually a campaign, and it’s not actually even Amazon so will probably be taken down soon, but we absolutely LOVE the creativity in this. Twitter user @AniAcopian felt that the mainstream dating apps weren’t serving their purpose, so taking the look and feel of the tech giant’s site, she created her own one. Just brilliant. And one which Amazon itself should be lauding. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. 

2. Tinder and Homesick 

Sticking with the Dating App theme. Last year Tinder teamed up with candlemaker, Homesick to create the “Single, Not Sorry” candle, that you could actually buy. We’re not sure Gwenyth Paltrow would be quite shaking in her scented candle… erm… boots, were they to team up again, but a simple, cheap and effective marketing stunt nonetheless. What does it smell like you ask? Catfish and disappointment? No, freedom and fun apparently. Go figure. 

https://homesick.com/products/tinder-single-not-sorry-candle 

3. eHarmony AU – How Kid’s See Valentines 

Using kids perspectives to create a campaign isn’t exactly breaking the mould. It’s been done countless times before. But there is one scene in this video which always cracks us up – that girl’s face when the boy talks about the dog picture. Priceless. Nice video that’s slightly long but a bit of fun anyway. 

4. Google – Parisian Love 

The Big G knows how to pull at the heartstrings and has made us melt more than once with it’s simple, clean and effective tool for telling a full story in mere seconds. Remember “Dear Sophie”? *ugly cries*. Well this short but sweet one preceeded it by about 5 years and while it doesn’t cause the same emotional trauma as the aforementioned Sophie, it laid the foundation for a video series that will always be timeless. 

5. Tesco Basket Dating 

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach right? Well the Tesco decided to put the theory to the test by pairing people up based on the contents of their shopping baskets. We’re not convinced of the science behind this. If LIDL copied it I’d be paired up with a boiled ham wearing a toolbelt and covered in Nutella… actually on second thoughts that doesn’t sound too bad…  

6. Galentine’s Day 

The term coined in a 2010 Parks and Recreation episode has steadily grown in popularity, the graph below showing search term increases year on year. We never need an excuse to go for a boozy brunch, neither should you. Search the #Galentines on any social platform and you’ll see that Feb 13th is slowly taking over. Did someone say Mimosas? *Puts on Out of Office replies. 

The takeout here is that brands can take any view at the already saturated Valentine’s Day market to carve out their own piece of the pie but need to manage expectations and end goals. Brands that challenge the status quo (although challenging the idea of Valentine’s is fast becoming the status quo isn’t it?!) can gain notoriety for being different but might miss the boat on the sales side, and those that stick to the tried-and-tested might drown in a sea of chocolate body paint and petals. The most successful brands are those that push offers and easy access to entertainment or moments – much like any other shopping friendly occasion. 

Hopefully the above inspires you to Romeo and Juliet your little hearts away. If you want to discuss any campaign ideas or think we’ve overlooked your favourite Valentine’s activations then slide into our DMs and let’s go for coffee… you smooth operator you! 

- GC