4 Creative Valentine’s Day Campaigns We Love

Valentine’s Day is a fantastic opportunity for DTC brands. It is a perfect time to show off the creativity of your brand when it comes to marketing, using the theme of love and gift-giving to tailor your email and social campaigns to love hearts and romance, shifting your colour palette towards red and pink.

But some brands go a different direction, and we love the creativity they show to celebrate the day of love! So let's dive into 4 of our favourite creative Valentine’s Day campaigns from all the way back to the ‘70s to the modern day, and discuss what makes them special.

VW Love Bug, 1974

This classic 1974 print ad features the iconic VW Beetle and is a fantastic example of some old-school advertising techniques. Using complementary colours, excellent use of space and tailored Valentine’s Day copy, this magazine ad works exceptionally well. The term ‘love bug’ wasn’t just a marketing term VW came up with for this ad, it was also a limited edition version of the VW Beetle in two unique colours. The power of product tie-ins!

Vodafone, 2013

Vodafone has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and its marketing is no different. This fantastic print ad from 2013 is simple, yet so effective and they didn’t even have to change the classic Vodafone red!

Using a universally recognisable song lyric, paired with a drop-down menu of various social media platforms, this is a very subtle Valentine’s Day campaign that we just love. Can we take a moment and appreciate some of these classic social media platforms? Who else remembers Vine?

Snickers, 2017

While many DTC brands have had success with traditional Valentine’s Day marketing techniques, Snickers decided to go a different way in 2017 by using an often-forgotten part of Valentine’s Day; the last-minute card. This was a clever campaign that used an interactive element by giving passers-by the chance to grab an emergency Valentine’s Day card just in case they had forgotten! We love how this campaign ties into Snickers’ core messaging with the use of the ‘...when you’re hungry’ line.

Thortful, 2022

Thortful is a greeting card company with a great sense of humour. They are well known for their weird and wonderful marketing but this Valentine’s Day campaign from 2022 really pushes that boundary! We love just how ‘out there’ this ad is. Now this is a brand that understands its USP!