Who's doing love differently?

The month of Love... but who stood out? 

Valentine's Day. Another seasonal holiday for brands to capitalise on right? Well, yes... but maybe it does not need to be so cliché, maybe the way we think about the day is adapting. Time to spotlight some brands who did Valentine's day slightly differently and thoughtfully over the past few years.

Tinder x Spotify

The duo we did not know we needed. 

Music brings us together - it connects people, creates memories and helps to keep memories alive. 

This campaign showed the power of music and yet again, the power of brand partnerships. Tinder knew that having a spotify anthem named on your profile increased swiping right, so who better to partner with than Spotify. They worked to create love themed tracks and podcasts. 

Spotify saw a whopping 49% increase in love-themed listeners compared with 2021. Sounds like this campaign was a win-win for everyone and no one had to be forced into buying roses or chocolate.

Zalando

Exchange your clothes from your ex. 

Ever wondered what to do with all those old hoodies from your ex? Zalando have provided a great solution with their 2022 Valentine's Day campaign. 

Watch Video Here

The video shows three different love stories ending with clothes being thrown in one way or another. The campaign suggests Valentine's Day is the perfect time to re-arrange things, give these clothes a second life, instead of throwing them out the window. 

This holiday isn't all about gifts, there are lots of other things we can be doing and think about too. Thanks for the reminder Zalando.

Booking.com

Love Letters to America

This campaign was actually from 2021 but the uniqueness makes it worth mentioning this year as it still stands out amongst the V-Day noise. 

Two years on and we are still all affected by the pandemic in some way or another. Travelling remains difficult and sometimes even impossible. Booking.com started Love Letters to America and send love letters to areas across the US that had been hit particularly badly. 

The company asked Americans to write their own letters to their favourite cities - letting them know how much they care even if they could not be there. 

The end result = a collection of lovely words from the people of America to the country they love. 

Read some here.

Pandora

Getting real with real people

We know that all customers, or should I say humans, want is empathy, compassion, a sense of appreciation and significance and Pandora brought that to life with their Getting real with real people campaign. 

The simple video asked real couples what the day meant to them - with a focus on the people not on the product. Watch here.

The intimate, simple feel of the video makes it hard to watch without resonating (and dare I admit, getting goosebumps). The reminder that at school, Valentine's Day was a day for fun and telling all your friends you loved them - made the Valentine's Day cynic inside me disappear for a bit. 

WWF

Love it or lose it

Another winner from 2021 which deserves mention again launched last year on Valentine's day and ran for a year. With the title 'Love it or Lose it' the campaign called on everyone to show their love for nature, reminding us all that we will lose it if we are not careful. 

Watch video here.

Partnered with a re-make of Elvis Presley's "Love me Tender," a sense of nostalgia is created, telling us that we should not be taking what we have for granted. The campaign is the perfect example of how holidays can be used to raise awareness, not just drive sales. 

With two campaigns from 2021 featuring in this email, perhaps there is space for more brands to be approaching this time of year differently. This does not mean redefining Valentine's Day but simply broadening it. Send a letter to your best-friend, to your parents, colleagues, customers, favourite companies - spread the love. Love, kindness, smiles and human connection are contagious.

We at Inkpact have made it our mission to remind people of the power of Real Human Connection and we are excited to see how brands connect with customers & spread the love for Valentine's Day next year.