Valentine’sDay is a big money-making business and many businesses see a huge increase insales, not just the card and flower shops. Almost £1 billion was spent onValentine’s gifts in the UK in 2017 and a similar figure has been estimated for2018 too. Over in the States, more than $18.9 billion dollars was spent on retailspending last year for the big day.
With thisin mind, it’s vital you ensure your #brand is ready for Valentine’s Day and hasan effective marketing campaign in place to draw in the customers and get yourhands on their cash. We’ve taken a look at some of this year’s, and previousyear’s campaigns.
McCain - 2018
McCainlaunched a new marketing campaign this Valentine’s Day featuring a diverserange of couples. The brand is keeping with its diversity agenda after its lastcampaign which focused on depictions of modern family life significantlyincreased brand awareness. In fact, McCain reported a 10% increase inbrand meaning and brand perception, plus a 14% increase in brand difference due to its last campaign, soit was a wise idea to keep the theme for its Valentine’s campaign.
The ad can be viewed here.
McDonald’s - 2018
McDonald’sis putting a ring on it this Valentine’s Day by giving away diamond-encrusted“Bling Mac” ring worth around $12,000. One lucky Twitter user will get theirhands on this one-of-a-kind burger by declaring their love for the Big Macsandwich alongside #BlingMacContest and tagging @McDonalds. The responses havebeen coming in thick and fast and provide further brand exposure for the chain.
Thiscampaign comes as the fast-food chain celebrates its 50th anniversaryof the Big Mac. McDonald’s has brought out three different burger sizes tocelebrate the Grand Big Mac, Big Mac, and Mac Jr. They are available at selectedrestaurants for a limited time, but only the biggest fan will win the bling.
Snickers - 2017
Lastyear, Snickers’ famous tagline, you’re not yourself when you’re hungry, took aValentine’s Day twist with this ad. The brand created a billboard campaignaround London to help remind forgetful people to pick up a Valentine’s card.
What’smore, there were replaceable cards attached to the billboards which wereoutside London Waterloo station for three days. Passers-by could grab a cardand give it to their significant other. The white ‘Forgetful’ lettering was madefrom Valentine’s Day cards and was a way for the forgetful among us to ensuretheir Valentine received a card.
Snickersoptimised on this whilst reminding consumers that they are on hand to help theforgetful and the hungry. On the following two days, the cards were replacedwith ‘Sorry I forgot. One the plus side, booking a restaurant should be easier.Happy Belated Valentine’s’. A clever and successful way to make the most out ofValentine’s beyond the 14th of February.
Coles – 2017
Coles wantedits audience’s opinion last Valentine’s Day and posted a short video asking for them to vote for theirfavourite type of bouquet: roses, strawberries, or bacon. The Australiansupermarket posted on their business page encouraging the audience to reactwith a ‘like’ for the rose bouquet, ‘love’ for the strawberry bouquet, and a ‘shock’for the bacon banquet.
This simplebut effective Valentine’s campaign was a huge success for Coles. The videoreceived 1.9 million views alone and was shared by 1,700 people meaning theextended audience is much larger.
There were55,000 votes with the rose bouquet coming in as the favourite with a staggering22,000 votes. The strawberry bouquet came in second and the bacon bouquet inthird. 5,800 people commented on the post and Coles engaged with the audienceby responding to many of them.
This is agreat move to not only humanise the brand, but also to show that the brandcares and gives something back by acknowledging and replying to your comment.
So, therewe have it. Some of our favourite Valentine’s campaigns for this year and yearsgone by. There are many great tips to learn here and we hope it sparks yourimagination for future campaigns!
