Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine’s Day comms are excruciating, let’s try something new. Call me a hopeless old romantic, but I am of the opinion that Valentine’s Day comms should come from the heart. Even if your message is going out to a mass audience, injecting a little thought and, dare I say, love, into your communications might just have people falling over themselves to buy your stuff. So, if you find yourself in charge of pulling together some headlines or copy i
copy in the run-up to the big day, do everyone a favour and try not to fall into the mire of predictable guff. Red roses, candlelit dinners, heart-shaped everything and lines like ‘Show them you care’, or ‘Nothing says I love you like ____.’
It’s 2025. Consumers value authenticity and originality above all else. They can see right through the fauxmance. But with a dash of character and a few fresh ideas in your back pocket, you’ll be able to cut through Cupid’s cacophony and create connections that are actually meaningful.
Step 1. What’s love got to do (got to do) with it
No matter what product or service you offer, there’s always an angle. Sell hamster wheels? Great. Love is an endless wheel of chaotic energy – channel that. Offer relocation services? You could probably make that message rather moving. Send out personalised chocolate boxes? Well, if love is indeed a language, chances are it sounds like someone mumbling with a mouth full of bonbons.
All you have to do is find that angle and run with it.
Step 2. Take my breath away
Now you’ve got your angle. Let’s make sure it stands out. Even if your angle does end up being pretty standard, a la ‘Treat your special someone’, you can find a fresh take on it. What makes someone your special someone? How do people express that specialness in the real world? What is going to resonate?
When you take all that into account, ‘Treat your special someone’ might become something like, For the person who steals your snacks but somehow still owns your heart. Or, For the person who didn’t run when you sent them your latest podcast.
Step 3. Nothing compares 2 U
Your messaging needs to sound unmistakably you. Having a codified voice helps, but really, it just needs to be a reflection of you and/or your products and services. If you’re a raging extrovert, make it extroverted. If you’re a quiet achiever, make it quiet.
For example, let’s say you bake cakes for a living. If your bubbly personality makes your business unique, let it take the lead. Say something like, I put more passion into whipping this cream than most people put into their entire relationship.
If you bake cakes for a living but don’t like the limelight and prefer your creations to speak for themselves, you could say something like, A sonnet wrapped in velvet crumb.
As long as it’s true to who you are and what your business stands for, it’s going to feel authentic.
What a difference a day makes
Much like in our real-life relationships, a little bit of extra thought, energy and creativity goes a long way. In a couple of hours, you can whip up messaging that’s sharp, unexpected and full of character. Do that and you’ll ditch the clichés in favour of fresh, personality-driven copy that’s sure to capture hearts.
Whether you do that through humour, personalisation, flipping traditions on their head, or simply finding a new way to say the same old thing is entirely up to you. But taking a unique approach to Valentine’s Day will absolutely help your brand stand out in a sea of saccharine sameness.
Trust me, everyone will love you for it.
Further reading: How Lovehoney, Decathlon and Shein are tapping into Valentine’s Day 2025
