10 Valentine’s Day Ads to Fall in Love With
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. The popularity of this yearly tradition has encouraged countless brands across all industries to jump on the Valentine’s Day ad bandwagon — and for good reason.
Today, this world-famous holiday is a multi-channel marketing jackpot, and it’s worth some serious cash. According to Statista, Valentine’s Day spend is rising, following a dip in 2021 (likely for pandemic-related reasons). One study found consumers are expecting to spend an average of $192 on the holiday this year — so how can your brand stand out and get their attention?
With the right video marketing ideas, you can keep your brand top of mind among your customers. If you need some inspiration to create memorable commercials this season, take a walk down memory lane with us. You might even pick up something to apply to your own campaigns.
Learn More: Social Media Video Ad Specs & Placements Guide
Match.com – Match Made in Hell (2020)
When done right, taking a current event and using it creatively is a highly effective way to promote your brand. In this case, the dating platform Match.com took the global situation of 2020 and gave it a comical spin. This idea opts for humor and gives the audience the feeling of being in on the joke, which, in turn, builds a solid bond with the brand.
Super fun fact: this ad was created by the team at Maximum Effort. The Ryan Reynolds-led agency was acquired by MNTN in 2021, so that makes them partners-in-arms with us here at QuickFrame!
OpenTable – Valentine’s Countdown (2020)
Selling an online booking service is as straightforward as it gets. Yet OpenTable came up with a creative idea to advertise their platform for an incredibly busy day in the food service industry. This ad tells a story customers can relate to, encouraging them to make a reservation as soon as possible.
This clever countdown series features 14 witty ads, each of which takes the customer through multiple scenarios, only to find that making a restaurant reservation is the best solution during this holiday. It conveys a clear message: if you want to successfully celebrate Valentine’s Day, you need to book through OpenTable — simple as that.
AdoreMe – What Do Women Really Want for Valentine’s Day (2020)
Many Valentine’s Day video ads geared toward women are, well, pretty much the same. They tend to gravitate around the fact that women wait a whole year to get chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals, or any other V-Day cliché from their significant others.
Yeah, right. *Cue “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus*
This brutally honest piece by AdoreMe takes a different route for their Valentine’s Day video production. The result: an amusing spot your target audience can identify with.
Ryanair – #EscapeTheNonsense this Valentine’s Day (2019)
For the main character in this Ryanair ad, Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly ideal. But, they’ve got great news: you don’t have to stick around for it. By focusing on a single audience, Ryanair is taking this opportunity to connect with people who might typically feel left out of typical Valentine’s Day advertising. So if you’ve ever felt like running away from Valentine’s Day, this might be the ad for you.
Ad Council – Love Has No Labels (2015)
Filmed on Valentine’s Day in 2015, this moving diversity and inclusion ad quickly became an all-time classic and collected over 60 million views on YouTube.
The point of this video advertising masterpiece was to promote an open dialogue about our deep-rooted biases as a society, intended to modify how we perceive the world while celebrating love.
Panera — Forever Flatbreads (2021)
Call us a bunch of hopeful romantics, but reuniting over a pizza sounds like the dream. Panera reconnected Topanga and Cory Boy Meets World stars Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage in this video to engage viewers through nostalgia and rom-com vibes. Panera also slides in some great product visuals throughout, enticing viewers to change their lunch plans.
Vodafone – The Kiss (2013)
Sometimes an ad doesn’t have to hard-sell a product or service. This Vodafone ad is a perfect example of how, sometimes, you just need a solid concept that captures a particular emotion and resonates with your audience. In this case, the telecommunications company created a parallel between their unlimited talk and text plan and love.
MoPETS – A Love Story (2021)
We’re suckers for a good animal video — and we’re willing to bet your audience is, too. By immediately leaning into their target audience, MoPETS catches the attention of their audience, hooking them for the rest of the video. If your 2024 Valentine is your cat, this MoPETS ad helps you connect with other similar folks to chat about pet care, advice, and more.
Disney+ – Valentine’s Day (2020)
Compilation videos never go out of style! This Disney+ ad features some of the most popular moments of love within the platform’s content, from classic cartoons to modern movies.
While this ad is focused on highlighting love for Valentine’s Day, they also use this as an opportunity to promote the wide variety of content on the platform.
With an effective post-production plan, you can combine several different elements together to create a new message.
Snickers – You’re Forgetful When You’re Hungry (2017)
Snickers UK went out of their way in 2017 to make sure people didn’t forget Valentine’s Day. And even if they did, they gave them the chance to grab a last-minute card for their loved one.
We also love an omnichannel moment — and this campaign is a great example. By capturing video footage of people enjoying their interactive out-of-home (OOH) advertisement, Snickers multiplied the number of people who saw their ads.
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