How Brands Can Charm Their Way to Valentine’s Day

By Sarah Tsirkas, Retail Industry Director, Teads UK

Each year, the media industry orbits around key cultural milestones, from big moments in international sport or pop culture, to annual days which mark social and cultural moments, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and Halloween.

For brands, it’s not only important to recognise these moments in the calendar but to understand how to maximise these milestones to reach their target audience.

Let’s take Valentine’s Day, which has increasingly seen massive investment in terms of media spend and shelf space (both online and in-store) dedicated to products, experiences and gifts. As a result, competition is high and so retailers and manufacturers need to think smart about who their target audience is, what behaviours they exhibit and how and when to reach them with the right message.

At Teads, we wanted to explore the different ways in which people plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year and what gifts they will buy loved ones, and our survey – ‘Charm your way to hearts and sales’ – reveals some interesting findings for retail brands planning their media campaigns.

According to the research, food will form a key part of Valentine’s celebrations, with 40 per cent of consumers planning to cook a special meal at home, but with over 55s more inclined to do so than 18-34 year olds (55 per cent vs 34 per cent). Instead, younger generations are most likely to eat out on Valentine’s Day, with 44 per cent of young people who are dating, in a relationship or married likely to do so.

We also discovered that relationship status impacts romantic intentions, with 85 per cent of people in relationships planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day, while 39 per cent of married people don’t intend to celebrate.

The study also highlights gift-giving as an intrinsic part of Valentine’s celebrations, as 82 per cent of people who celebrate are planning to buy a gift for their loved ones.  Interestingly, men are more likely (97 per cent) to buy a Valentine’s gift than women (74 per cent), with over half (51 per cent) of men planning to buy flowers as a Valentine’s gift this year.

For brands and marketers, these findings underline the importance of planning when it comes to media strategy, understanding when and where to reach their audience and with what message. We know that cultural moments – such as Valentine’s Day – can drive traffic, excitement, and pique interest at an incredible speed, while, at the same time, audiences are at their most engaged, so it’s a prime time to reach them in the right way.

Ensuring the right messages are delivered through the right channels at the right time are key to cutting through the noise. However, it’s not just the message that’s important but where you are telling it. Brands must have a clear understanding of how to reach their target audience, what forms of media they consume and therefore which platforms and media channels they should be communicating through. It’s also important to consider a wide range of media, including the use of omnichannel video solutions that can be tailored for web, mobile and Connected TV environments.

In order to compete in an increasingly competitive landscape, brands must craft media campaigns with timely, targeted and tailored ad messages that align with the topics, communities, and emotions that truly matter, building relationships that last longer than a Valentine’s Day crush.