While Valentine’s Day has been traditionally known as the day couples honor their love and affection for one another, it’s turned into the fourth-largest shopping day of the year with attached and unattached consumers making holiday purchases for the special people in their lives.
As a result, smart B2C brands and marketers are upping their Valentine’s Day marketing game by getting creative to tap into new audiences, boost awareness and drive sales.
With that said and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, below we share some clever, sweet and endearing Valentine’s Day marketing examples from B2C brands.
#1 – M&M’s
Chocolate is arguably one of the top go-to Valentine’s Day gift items. But with probably thousands of options to choose from, candy makers face some stiff competition.
In this short and sweet Facebook video, M&M’s has a simple message for all: Share your love this Valentine’s Day by sharing some M&M’s. While M&M’s is a household name, they took advantage of native video and social advertising to create something eye-catching and capitalize on the V-Day holiday.
#2 – CVS Pharmacy
If you’re a “Parks & Recreation” fan, then you probably already know about Galentine’s Day. If you’re not familiar, Galentine’s Day—celebrated on Feb. 13—is all about celebrating the love between lady friends.
In this adorable promoted tweet, CVS pharmacy is evoking precious childhood memories when many of us girls loved playing dress up.
#3 – BeCharming.com
In an attempt to share a little joy, inspiration and love around Valentine’s Day—as well as encourage engagement—BeCharming.com invited their customers and social media followers to share their love stories for a chance to win a special, love-themed PANDORA charm.
Dubbed the “Share Your Love Story” contest, people shared touching stories about their significant other, best friends and special family bonds such as that between a mother and a daughter.
#4 – Maserati North America
Maserati is certainly taking advantage of the Valentine’s Day holiday to associate their high-end luxury line of vehicles with the beauty, devotion and excitement that love can bring. These tweets featuring loving phrases and eye-catching images are simple yet powerful.
#5 – Bath & Body Works
Email marketing is one of the top-converting channels for many brands. However, many consumers get several promotional emails from their favorite brands each day—which means subject lines need to stand out to get the click and kick-start a potential sale.
For me, this email from Bath & Body Works is a fantastic example. The subject line reads: “Sweet-NOTHINGS for tomorrow? Don’t panic! Get $10 off!” It uses a cute play on a loving phrase, signals that there is still time to buy something great and there’s an incentive.
#6 – Uncommon Goods
Consumers are more self-directed than ever before, often turning to search engines to guide their research and find quick answers. As a result, combining SEO with content that meets search intent and creates a great user-experience is key.
Uncommon Goods hit the nail on the head this Valentine’s Day season, creating a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide driven by SEO—ranking them high in search results for the phrase “Valentine’s Day Gifts”—and helpful content that’s easy to consume and peruse.
#7 – Dunkin’ Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts is transforming their long-time “America runs on Dunkin’” slogan to “Love Runs on Dunkin’” this Valentine’s Day. It’s #DunkinLoveContest on Instagram asks fans to share how their donut chain is part of their relationship—whether it be big or small.
And that’s not all. While contest submissions are being gathered on Instagram, the company is promoting it across its social media channels with messaging tailored that unique audience.
As another facet of the company’s Valentine’s Day campaign, they’re also plugging their heart-shaped donuts and holiday drinks through delectable looking photos and how-to videos, and they’ve also launched a stickers and V-Day card builder app.
What unique, creative or sentimental Valentine’s Day marketing has caught your eye? Tell us in the comments section.
Disclosure: BeCharming.com is a TopRank Marketing client.
