This year, Valentine’s Day may look a little different, but couples are still celebrating. Even before “physical distancing” came into play, many people preferred to stay home on Valentine’s Day to avoid the holiday crowds. Now, with more limitations, couples are planning romantic dates at home and searching for the perfect gift to show their love.
Romance is a serious business in Asia Pacific (APAC), with Australians spending AU$377 million on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2019.1 That same year, sales of roses in India reached US$300 million.2
According to Criteo’s new report “State of Digital Advertising 2021: Marketing Budgets & Priorities in a New World,” 38% of APAC marketers have seen increased website sales since the start of the pandemic. In fact, APAC marketers said they plan to increase their budgets on: advertising on retail websites and apps (44%), retargeting and paid display (40%), and video advertising (36%).3
As marketers spend more across these channels, there is a big opportunity to drive incremental sales for Valentine’s Day. Marketers should focus on inspiring gift shoppers by adjusting your messaging and offers to the times. Here, we’re sharing creative inspiration and engaging ad formats to help you build your 2021 Valentine’s Day ad campaign.
Inspiration: 4 Standout Ad Campaigns from the APAC Region
Marketing objective: Drive awareness
Big Bazaar: The Love Weekend – Pillow Talk
Credit: Big Bazaar
This video ad immediately captivates the viewer. As a couple tucks into bed for the night, they communicate with sign language. While their visual banter is humorous and makes for great entertainment, it also shines a spotlight on diversity and inclusion.
This approach is crucial in an increasingly divisive world where empathy, authenticity, and brand values have never mattered more. Product and price are no longer the only factors that get customers’ attention and drive consideration, conversions, and customer loyalty.
The ad is also shot vertically—perfect for the millions of consumers in India who are viewing on their smartphones.
eHarmony Australia: How Kids See Valentine’s Day
Credit: eHarmony Australia
In this ad, eHarmony Australia brings a fun innocence to Valentine’s Day with a simple but highly entertaining format: interviewing kids about their take on love.
Placing kids in the driver’s seat for a holiday that is typically reserved for adults is a unique way to drive brand awareness, traffic, and engagement.
Marketing objective: Drive consideration
Melorra Jewellery: This Valentine’s, Be a Man with a Plan, and #UpYourGiftingGame
Credit: Melorra Jewellery
This video speaks directly to male shoppers, who might not realize what makes their partner feel special. The music video-inspired ad implores them to #UpYourGiftingGame—something that resonates with Indian audiences given their love for Bollywood and entertainment.
The use of the hashtag enhances the ad message, amplifies reach, and drives engagement across social media.
Marketing objective: Drive consideration and conversions
Burger King: Valentine’s Day#LonelyNoMore
Credit: Burger King India
It’s standard marketing advice to avoid shining a light on your competitor, much less create a video ad trolling their mascot. But that’s not Burger King, which is poking fun at a seemingly lonely Ronald McDonald.
The video works well to raise awareness of free Whopper burgers available on Valentine’s Day. The campaign was accompanied by a social media marketing push and generated massive publicity globally.
Get Started: 3 Ad Formats for Your Valentine’s Day Campaigns
Inspired to create your Valentine’s Day campaign? Try these eye-catching Criteo ad formats, which are boosted by our AI-powered Dynamic Creative Optimization+:
Video
Criteo’s in-banner video ads can help brands boost awareness, traffic, and sales across the open internet.
Adaptive Ads
Tell your brand’s story and take your audience on a journey that ends with a click to drive traffic or conversions, bringing to life static ads with visuals and text complemented by animations. Maintain a branded look across ad sizes while benefiting from AI optimization.
Scroll
Scroll is an interactive, dynamic ad format combining a static brand image and product recommendations to encourage ad engagement with special deals for Valentine’s Day (or any other holiday).
Need help making your brand stand out? Get in touch with us today to learn about Criteo’s full-funnel marketing solutions.
1Australian Valentine’s Day data 2019
2India Sales of Roses on Valentine’s Day, 2019
3Criteo’s State of Digital Advertising 2021: Marketing Budgets & Priorities in a New World, APAC, October 2020, n=432. Countries included Australia, India, Japan, and Korea.
