It is in early February when the Christmas rush ends and people walking around dressed as elves has long passed, that shop windows suddenly become full with over-sized cards and heart-shaped balloons and chocolates.
The season of love, balloons and singles complaining about their love life, has opened up a huge space for ‘lovey-dovey’ media campaigns. Come February the 14th, every single newspaper, website, social media site and so on, has jumped on the bandwagon of love. But it is a market that is extremely tough, where every single product and charity must find a way to get noticed and get a slice of the media pie.
So what does Valentine’s Day have to do with a good media campaign?
It goes without saying that Valentine’s Day is an extremely crowded space for a media campaign. But it is also a time where small players actually stand a chance against the big-guns. Take Shoot it Yourself’s media campaign four years ago. I joined thousands of people across the country on Twitter to hear from Britain’s oldest couple who, at the time, had been together for 82 years. Lionel and Ellen Buxton took to the micro-blogging platform on Valentine’s Day to offer relationship advice. Tweeting on behalf of a relatively small wedding video company – Shoot it yourself – this was Public Relations done well.
Valentine’s Day offers a news-hook, with most publications finding a way to weave it into a news-story, or perhaps even their entire publication. When brands manage to find a space to make me read, see and interact with them, then you know they have found a new way to do the classic theme. These brands have realised what every PR must do for its clients on a daily basis, and especially on Valentine’s Day, stand out and be creative! After all, in PR, originality and ingenuity is key.
My top 5 Valentine’s Day media campaigns;
1) Shoot it Yourself’s tweeting advice.
2) Ikea’s concept of offering parents-to-be a free cot if your baby is born on 14 November 2013? How brilliant is that?
3) Asda’s introduction of the Twosie for Valentine’s Day was perhaps a step too far, but I really want one!
4) Calvin Klein’s #mycalvins campaign, they’ve certainly realised the potential of Valentine’s Day mixed with a serious dose of celebrity endorsement.
5) Propose to your loved one with a pizza box from Pizza Hut? Because who doesn’t want an engagement ring smelling like margherita?
Reasons to be in love
So as we approach Valentines Day, I would like to show my appreciation for the PR’s out there who have taken advantage of this small opportunity.
Oliver Sonenfield
Account Executive