Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. The weeks building up to Valentine’s Day are a marketing dream for every brand. With love and romance as the order of the day, companies battle it out in the marketing world to get their brand to the top spot. And to stand out from the crowd, creativity is the most important ingredient to make your ad truly memorable.
But before you rack your brain trying to come up with the best Valentine’s Day ad ever, here’s a list of some of the most memorable Valentine’s Day commercials from the last decade. So, here we go.
1. Google’s Valentine’s Day Doodle (2012)
Search engine colossus Google came up with a short animated film that showed a young boy trying to win over a girl’s heart. He adorns her with hundreds of gifts but she repeatedly turns down his proposals.
But as soon as he joins her with a skipping rope, the girl undergoes a change of heart. The ad reminds us that gifts might be a great way of telling someone that you love them, but your presence is what truly matters.
2. Coca-Cola: Love Is In the Air (2013)
Well, we don’t know much about love, but Coke had to go literally up in the air for this 2013 Coca-Cola commercial. The ad shows thousands of red balloons carrying Coke cans being released from the high ground above a city, from where they drift down. They are later retrieved and shared by young couples.
The ad ends with the brand wishing everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. For those of us who grew up drinking Coke, love was indeed in the air!
3. British Airways (2014)
British Airways came up with a romantic story for its 2014 Valentine’s Day ad, which revolved around a busy working man and his homemaker wife.
Since they live in a joint family, they don’t get enough privacy. So, British Airways gifted them an all-expenses-paid trip to London and helped them enjoy the precious moments of Valentine’s Day.
Quality time with each other- now isn’t that the best gift a couple could get on Valentine’s!
4. Nissan Electric: The Break-Up (2015)
Jilted lovers often change their relationship status to “single” on social media during Valentine’s Day. Nissan Electric, with its 2015 Valentine’s ad, asked people to go for a different kind of break-up- end their dependency on oil. The awkwardly funny ad borrows break-up clichés such as “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Honestly, this is one break-up that would surely benefit the entire human race. Well done, Nissan!
5. Singapore Airlines: Love Is In the Air(port) (2016)
This cute ad had to come right after Coke’s commercial, but time separated these two. See what I did there😉? The Singapore Airlines team made the 2016 Valentine’s Day special for its passengers traveling from London’s Heathrow Airport. Passengers at the Changi Airport were offered heart-shaped chocolates and serenaded by crew members performing love songs.
If this isn’t love, then what is?
6. Boots: It All Starts With A Thought (2017)
Boots added to the romantic vibes with its 2017 Valentine’s Day ad. The brand not only emphasized the feelings of romantic love but of love in general by showcasing moments that create our very existence.
The “It all starts with a thought” perfectly summarizes the spirit of Valentine’s Day- we love someone, think about them, feel the need to tell them that they mean everything to us, and then buy them presents on Valentine’s. Pretty smart Boots, uh?
7. Renault: The Postman (2018)
When a postman meets a girl on his daily postal round, he instantly begins doting on her. But there’s a small problem. The girl’s small-but-angry pup keeps getting irritated by the postman’s noisy vehicle and stops him from coming anywhere close to his crush.
The postman comes under multiple comical attacks from the dog until he is finally given the keys to a brand-new Renault Kangoo Z.E.
The postman finally gets to meet his crush while we auto-enthusiasts are left wondering what was actually wrong with his vehicle.
8. 1-800 Flowers: Cupid (2019)
1-800 Flowers came up with a funny commercial for its 2019 Valentine’s Day campaign where Cupid shared his grievances about how the bouquet company put him out of his job. The fat, shirtless cupid rants about how people no longer need flowers while the video shows screenshots of the brand’s website and all the lovely flowers that it has in its kitty.
Seeing Cupid as an angry, disgruntled grown man instantly grabs our attention. Cupid also highlights how 1-800 sells romantic products and provides quick and painless scheduled delivery. The ad is a great example of how brands can playfully leverage their competition and highlight what makes them stand apart.
Rest assured Cupid, you’re never going out of business, just get a little toned up, eh?
9. Burger King: Lonely No More (2020)
Burger King is well-known for its innovative and extremely cheeky campaigns, many of which are targeted at its rival, McDonald’s. They did something similar for their 2020 Valentine’s commercial.
The ad took on McDonald’s mascot, Ronald McDonald. The ad never showed the mascot in its entirety or mentioned the brand’s name but we’re all smart enough to see through Burger King’s small act. The ad simply shows the mascot sitting alone at different places, cutting a really sorry figure.
The background music is full of pathos. And just when you thought this was the end of it, the text on the screen reads ‘It sucks to be lonely. Especially on Valentine’s Day.’ The video then asks people to upload a selfie with the mascot for a free Whopper.
This is what we call competitive marketing at its very best. Oh boy, Burger King really trolled McDonald’s with this one!
10. Pandora (2021)
Authenticity is what most people crave. And jewelry brand Pandora decided to get real and personal during last year’s Valentine’s with a clever video. Real couples were asked what Valentine’s meant to them. While someone said that it was like Christmas to them, somebody else said that it was about moving in together.
The most striking thing about Pandora’s ad was how relatable it felt. Instead of giving the people ready-made scripts to read from, the brand decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with them. And that’s the spirit of Valentine’s; unless it comes straight out of your heart, it isn’t love, homies!
Wrapping Up
While some think that Valentine’s Day has lost its charm, many still consider it the most romantic day of the year. Regardless of which side you’re on, you are sure to be treated with hundreds of mindblowing Valentine's Day commercials every season.
Do you think we left out your favorite Valentine’s ad? No worries; we’ll be back next week with another set of impressive Valentine’s Day ads. Stay tuned till then, peace out fellas!
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