The Journey of Valentine’s Day Marketing

Authored by Priya Dhatri | Club Executive Member

From animal skin to diamonds.

As valentine’s day approaches, we often witness stores donning their valentine’s decorations and products indicating that the season of love is here. As some find themselves spending the day with their partner, some find themselves having takeout while binging shows. Every year marketers make sure to aim for both kinds of customers and get creative to win them over.

It is an understatement to say that valentine’s day is a huge, commercialized holiday. Last year $21.8 billion has been spent on valentine’s day by Americans alone. While it is predicted that in 2022 the spending would be closer to $23.9 billion. Considering such huge numbers, it is no wonder brands compete to outdo each other to gain audience.

Many historians believe Valentine’s Day’s originated from an ancient Roman festival held on February 15, called Lupercalia. It is the celebration of spring, a season of fertility and growth. One of these rituals involved sacrificing a dog or a goat and using its skin to whip women, to increase their fertility. Lupercalia is also the ancient version of a blind date, as men and women are paired off through a lottery system and are matched to spend the day together. In the 5th Century AD, Pope Gelasius has called for the celebration of Saint Valentine which resulted in its current name.

As the holiday gained popularity in Europe through literature and court etiquettes, it was brought to America where most of the commercialization began. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland has begun selling valentine cards in mass quantities which earned her the title, “Mother of Valentine” while in 1861, Cadbury has started selling the first heart-shaped box of chocolates. In 1907, Hershey’s released their ‘kisses’ candy and promoted it for the valentine’s celebrations. Hallmark has produced its first Valentine’s card in 1913, today Hallmark estimates that 145 million valentine’s day cards are exchanged every year.

Other brands like Coca-Cola, Hallmark, and Whitman’s have started marketing various products like cakes, clothes, and even special edition products for an easy holiday cash grab. In 1948, diamond company DeBeers has also launched its “a diamond is forever” campaign and began associating jewellery with love.

In the following decades, marketing teams of many companies have strived to lure more customers into celebrating the holiday and began associating cards, chocolates, jewellery, and flowers with valentine’s day to increase their sales. To attract more audiences’ companies have also begun producing anti-valentine merch and campaigns for those that do not celebrate the holiday.

India has also witnessed increasing valentine’s day campaigns that are filled with wit and humor. The marketers are focusing on attracting the younger customer base through relatable content.

Burger King teamed up with Sima Taparia, a matchmaker to create the campaign #DateTheWhopper. Lays’s has released its “yeh wala yad rahega” advertisement through real-life couple Ranbir and Alia. Wakefit, an Indian furniture brand, has produced “the single song”, for all those that spend the valentines alone. The song features lyrics that mention the products offered by wakefit in a fun way. Britannia’s little hears has brought a new twist to the valentines marketing campaign through its “break some hearts campaign”.

One brand that is majorly associated with valentine’s day is Cadbury’s Silk, whose campaign ranges from valentine ads to limited edition chocolates. Delivery services like Danzo have also taken the internet by storm through their witty Instagram ad campaigns about valentine’s week.

Despite dividing opinions on the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day it is an opportunity for marketers to launch creative and impactful campaigns to connect with the customers