The youth-focussed marketing juggernaut called Valentine’s Day

Marketers are increasingly looking at expanding various occasions into smart strategies to increase sales and brand connect. With Valentine’s Day less than 24 hours away, the red hearts, roses and chocolates have become hard to miss. And so have the numerous offers by brands, e-commerce players, retail outlets, restaurants and pubs. From being a day dedicated to lovers, Valentine’s Day, over the years, have been taken over by the marketing juggernaut to woo the young and not so young alike. 

For Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, August Communications, it’s not just Valentine’s Day that has evolved from a single day urban event to a week-long pan-India affair. It’s the whole marketing environment. He observed, “With the advent of digital and social media, the need to engage with the audience on a constant basis has risen. Brands now operate as peers in this connected world, with two-way conversations instead of one way broadcasts. In such a scenario, occasions like Valentine’s Week present an opportunity to connect with the audience in a way that provides an emotional context and helps humanise the brand. Also, the youth has become more and more significant as a TG over the last decade. Valentine’s week is one such occasion that presents opportunities to connect with the young.” 

According to Mahendra Bhagat, NCD, FCB Ulka, the evolution of occasions like Valentine’s Day has worked out beautifully for a lot of brands. “One can safely assume that some of them even go on to make the most of their revenues in and around these occasions. But at the same time, these very brands have to be thanked for actually making Valentine’s Day a household name. The evolution has been meteoric and far reaching,” he added. 

Kartik Iyer, Co-founder and CEO, Happy Mcgarrybowen, considers Hallmark holiday itself as an example of a marketing opportunity capitalised by a brand. Only difference is that other brands are trying to capitalise on it too. He said, “Popular culture defines the importance of these occasions. Add that to the emotional state of the society, and some brands are quick to spot the opportunity, the success of which leads the others to follow. Even Akshaya Tritiya was not so big until some jewellery brands made it a mainstream practice.” 

It is a time when every brand wants couples and singles to follow a crazy traditional culture called the Valentine’s Day, said Chirag Gander, Co-Founder, The Minimalist, adding, it is as important as one’s birthday, with people now asking ‘What’s your V-Day plan?’ 

“India has evolved as a society and the explosion of this evolution has coincided with, or in fact, been accelerated by the new media phenomenon. So, more Indians across the socio-economic and geographic divides are getting exposed to foreign influences, festivals and traditions. No more are days like these the domain of a select westernised few. Everyone wants to be seen as ‘belonging’ and ‘with it’. The commercialisation and expanding sentiment of these ‘days’ are, therefore, throwing up lots of merchandising and marketing opportunities. And frankly, I can only see this getting bigger. Especially with the invasion of social media into our personal lives now, a 24x7 phenomenon that simply cannot be wished away!” opined Vandana Sethhi, Founder & Director, Water Communications. 

On the kind of escalation being seen in the brands’ budgets around Valentine’s Day, Manish Bhatt noted that even the brands that used to release a couple of campaigns in an year, and concentrate the brand resources around those campaigns, have now made communication a more regular affair. “It is now possible to communicate across media, and tell stories in all kind of ways, from activations to GIFs. So yes, what used to be a pie with a few big slices is now a train with multiple stopovers,” he added. 

Despite running the risk of political rhetoric, more and more brands are jumping on the bandwagon of what Vandana Sethhi calls the “Valentiness Day syndrome”. With competition and the battle for eyeballs reaching such acute and cutthroat proportions, brands are desperate to scramble for anything that gives them some communication leverage. “No wonder then that so many brands – some not even with common cause to Valentine’s Day – are out there trying to be associated and seen,” she added. 

Agreeing with Sethhi, Chirag Gander noted that brands that with high spends on a country-wide festival like Diwali are being equally generous and are spending the same amount on their promotional activities for Valentine’s Day. 

While there are no standard numbers to quote, Kartik Iyer, too, pointed out that a lot more brands wanted to be a part of it and make a connection to all those with love on their minds. 

“It’s not as if all brands feel a compulsion to up the ante during Valentine’s Day, but yes, the obvious potential of the occasion is recognised and some brands literally go all out during this time,” noted Mahendra Bhagat. 

When asked whether there would be any impact seen on the consumer spends this year, given the fact that the country is just emerging out of the effects of demonetisation, Bhagat didn’t see too huge an impact as the occasion is primarily for the youthful and tech-savvy part of the population who believe more in plastic than paper. 

Along similar lines, Manish Bhatt said that in the the context of Valentine’s, since the TG is predominantly young, they are already at home with technology and digital payment. “So, I would assume the impact of demonetisation in this particular context to be minimal. Moreover, e-commerce websites are predominant in this category when it comes to gifting, which makes it further easier to go cashless.” 

Similarly, Chirag Gander also remarked that the demonetisation phase was never an issue for a generation that has grown up swiping their cards and spending digital money. “The bull’s eye target falls under the age group of 18-28, making the spends easier for the special occasion,” he added. 

Kartik Iyer, too, felt that things are moving back to normal now, compared to what they were two months ago. He said, “People will find a way to spend if they want to spend. They will get their hands on whatever they need. Especially, if it is Valentine’s Day.” 

On the other hand, Vandana Sethhi remarked, “We are now three months from the demonetisation ground zero, and though cash woes have kind of eased up, business has still not picked up well. This time, the sale season too was not good as people are cautious about their spending, businesses are hit, payments are held up and cash flows are not smooth. So, the industry is not expecting good months ahead.”

Advertising around Valentine’s Day 

According to Manish Bhatt, “There has been a slow but sure paradigm shift in advertising in general. It has become more progressive, or perhaps more politically correct. Brands are exploring Valentine’s from more angles now, beyond the usual man-woman romantic angle.” 

While Kartik Iyer does not see any paradigm shift, at the same time he added that some brands are taking the effort to share the love now with others as well. “It’s not just about the person you are ‘in love’ with. Everybody is milking the opportunities,” he said. 

Mahendra Bhagat added here that Valentine’s Day is the only time in the year when love sheds its rather taboo status and has a clear shot at glory. Though in his opinion, most of the work around this time still feeds on consumers’ love for discounts more than love in general. 

Along similar lines, Chirag Gander, too, felt that it is about the propaganda that has been picked up by every brand, which is circling around the insecurities between relationships and it is certainly not a new thing. According to him, every smallest moment or festival is amplified, the need of equality and empowerment is higher and brands want to go all-out in capturing every opportunity to grab the maximum attention of the crowd. 

On the other hand, Vandana Sethhi is of the opinion that Valentine’s Day related ad campaigns themselves have stayed rather muted these past few years, and that could be put down to fear of political rhetoric. She said, “Beyond the usual suspects of jewellery brands, retail, cafes, eateries and other such outlets, I can’t say I have noticed major communication, let alone paradigm shifts. Intelligent, insightful and interesting communications are safe as well. Also, for social media and WhatsApp, people need content so there are week-long celebration brand messages of Rose Day, Propose Day, Chocolate Day, Promise Day, Teddy Day, Hug Day.”