From flower arrangements and balloons to special boxes of chocolate, we saw plenty of couples prepared to give their significant others gifts to celebrate their love this Valentine’s Day.
With that being said, are these gestures genuine tokens of appreciation or are there other invisible factors that compel us to give gifts to our loved ones?
For many companies the holiday of love means one thing, a huge commercial opportunity for marketers. With pop-ups, limited edition sales, discounts and promotions flooding our phones, companies have been able to actively advertise Valentine’s Day to consumers for months.
According to The National Retail Federation, “Consumers planned to spend $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day this year.”
This averages at about $185.81 per person.
For local like businesses Pacific Florist and Lily’s Flower Shop, Valentine’s Day is their busiest season as some buyers prefer to support smaller shops rather than bigger corporations.
Data from Statista shows that consumers in the United States planned on spending approximately 2.6 billion dollars on flowers for Valentine’s Day.
For most people who purchase a Valentine’s Day gift for their significant other, it feels personal and specific to the person. However, there are many strategies that brands use to compel consumers to purchase their products.
Brands use specific limited-time branding to captivate buyers, which includes the importance of color and slogans. Based on the Victory Art color theory for Valentine’s Day, brands use blunt colors such as red and pink to depict the essence of love and lust. By using these colors, as well as by pairing them with loving slogans like “Kiss Me” and “I Love You,” buyers are subconsciously more attracted to the products.
In this strategy, often called Valentine’s Day marketing, brands tailor their services specifically to the holiday, allowing them to increase sales and create a profit margin. Although the products are most likely the same, by using Valentine’s Day labeling brands can target a specific audience.
On the contrary, some brands follow the anti-valentine’s approach and use similar tactics with different branding to target those who do not show appreciation for the holiday. While still spreading different messages, these companies follow the same strategies to ensure a profit from their buyers.
With this being said, it seems for most companies the holiday of Valentine’s Day is not about love, it’s about the money.
Regardless of your experience and perspective on Valentine’s Day, companies always expect to make a lot of sales. Therefore, everyone should continue to spend and enjoy Valentine’s Day each year as they please!