“Love” campaigns in the air – ET BrandEquity

The wedding season might be coming to an end but the season of love is yet to start as we are about to set foot into the week long festival season of Valentine‘s. The genesis of how and when a single day translates into a week-long celebration of love starting with roses and hugs to a final grand proposal is still hazy. Some even call it a well planned conspiracy of capitalism to leverage consumers into making big bucket purchases as gestures. Whatever the reason maybe, this is one of those rare celebrations that transcends the boundaries of culture or country making it the perfect opportunity for marketers to connect with their consumers and create a presence.

Conventionally love has been associated with couples of opposite genders engaged in a romantic relationship, so for years the campaigns around valentine’s had been focused towards couples like gifts for him/her, discounts on couple purchases and yes of course the greeting cards & flowers being at the center of it all. But something was missing. Somewhere down the line brands realized that catering to conventional couples dynamics was just not enough. The challenge was that it limited their target consumer base for not everyone might relate to these romantic commercials or offerings. This became a further more challenging task with the modern day dating scene of situationships or NATO dating (Not attached to an outcome). And even the bigger one was that not every brand out there could come up with products or services appealing to couples so even the marketers started to feel the FOMO for not being able to leverage onto this festive celebration.

The evolution in consumer mindset worked as the cupid helping brands strike the right chords to make an impression. The campaigns have now widened their scope to connect with any and all customers out there by listening on to the voice of the customer. These commercials were not just a means to tap into the consumer base with a forward looking mindset but also serve as a medium of spreading awareness on the simplest things by normalizing them. In September 2018, the Supreme Court of India decriminalized Section 377 which gave legal rights to sections of society which had been disregarded for far too long. Borosil came out in support of this with its 2019 Valentine’s campaign talking about how the LGBTQ community had to keep their love hidden but could now express and enjoy their relationships in public too. Nykka did something similar with the #YourStyleofLove campaign which talked about the uniqueness and beauty of love in all relationships irrespective of age, gender and even the non romantic relationships of friends, family and self love. And most recently Reliance Jewels came up with “Stronger Half’ campaign the team has elegantly talked about even the male in a relationship to be scared of the dark breaking the stereotype on them to always be a knight in shining armor. Westside launched a self love campaign in 2023 starring Sameera Reddy where it emphasized on how caring for self was important in today’s world. Even in 2024 Ferrero Rocher roped in Sara Ali Khan for an ad where she referred to herself as the date for the valentines pointing onto something similar.

Last year Helios partnered with an art studio to create a campaign #LoveEarth which involved using office scrap to create a huge heart shaped art piece to showcase their focus on sustainability. A very simple yet effective campaign who caught the curiosity not just of the consumers but also their peers in the vicinity which contributed to it through their office waste. Now this is something that not just brands but even small store owners can hop on to. A neighborhood salon romanticizing the self pampering as the new Valentine trend or the Instagram home decor business talking about turning your home into the perfect date spot with your partner, family or a solo date with some curated buys over going out for a date and fighting for a spot in a fancy cafe or restaurant.

Cadbury has always been at the center of romantic advertisements and unique launches especially for Valentines like the Heart Pop out limited edition Silk. But even they couldn’t resist targeting the single crowd out there. As Al became the big buzz word in 2023, 5 star came up with a “Mush Detector” a supposedly Al campaign (dummy but counts) to help singles avoid lovey dovey areas as we call in common slang to “Do Nothing” in peace. Talk about an all round attack.

These campaigns served a dual purpose as they allowed both brands and the consumers to be part of a festival otherwise restricted to a limited few in the society highlighting the importance of connecting with the consumers and picking on the insights to stay relevant for the customers. As we are transitioning between generations, the customers in the same age segment respond differently, what was relevant to a teenager 10 years ago might not be appealing to teenagers today for their life experiences, access to resources, social capital during upbringing is all very different and sticking to the old ideas can create a dissonance in the minds of the target consumer set. Customer retention is perhaps the biggest challenge consumer good companies face today for the increased market competition and reduced supply chain costs, aiding even the incumbents to deliver their products at the same price point with huge discount offerings. This is a struggle for most brands today as the resistance needed to break through your conventional approach of targeting involves a lot of effort and risk. And the more important one being the role a simple advertisement can play in delivering a powerful message and making a positive impact. This goes beyond the celebration of one festival but what makes this special is the fact that this one rewards companionship and in a time when it has become uncommon, breaking the conventional norms of companionship can create a positive sentiment that is registered more deeply in the minds of the general public and that’s what brand building is at the end of the day.