How to make the best Valentine’s Day ads

The most romantic day of the year is just around the corner and you’ll want to make sure your online advertising campaigns are up to par with your customers’ needs on this special day. It’s time to start boosting your Valentine’s Day campaigns, because the reality is that people want to give gifts… and they’re going to spend money! And they’re going to spend money! Check out these ideas for the best Valentine’s Day ads!

Why should you invest in Valentine’s Day campaigns?

We’ve all witnessed the infamous pink decorations and hearts flooding our streets and local stores in the days leading up to February 14. And while many may think it’s an endangered holiday, if there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that Valentine’s Day is not going away, if anything, it’s going to get more so.

Valentine’s Day is not only the most romantic holiday in the world, when people take the opportunity to give gifts to their loved ones, but it is also one of the most profitable shopping seasons of the year. Valentine’s Day is not only the most romantic holiday in the world, when people take the opportunity to give gifts to their loved ones, but it is also one of the most profitable shopping seasons of the year. Here are some interesting statistics for this holiday of the year: a forecast from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics, shows that consumers will…

• Spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2023. 
• The average U.S. consumer expects to spend $192.80 on the holiday, up 9.9% from $175.41 the previous year. 
• Valentine’s Day spending will increase 8.4% this year.

If you’ve reached this point in our article, it means we’ve successfully captured your attention. Now, let’s move on to the real reason why you’re here. You want to create successful Valentine’s Day ads, but you’re stuck, or maybe you just need that little extra push to get started. Don’t panic! Here are some Valentine’s Day tips to boost your online ads.

Love is flexible, don’t limit your ads to a single conception of it.

It’s common to think of Valentine’s Day as something exclusively for couples, but we shouldn’t forget that the concept of love is very broad. Valentine’s Day is no longer a holiday exclusively for couples, but a day to celebrate with your loved ones, those you love, whether they are your parents, siblings, friends, pets, co-workers… Or even yourself! Why not make yourself a “self gift”? The options are endless and, therefore, your brand should not limit your ads exclusively to the idea of traditional romance. Find creative ways to incorporate your brand image and products into a single ad that includes Valentine’s Day elements and reaches the widest possible audience. Here’s a great example of an Ikea ad.

In this campaign, Ikea does a great job of turning something as simple as a wooden chair into something “sexy” and appropriate for Valentine’s Day. The ad itself is not overly provocative, but it still catches the eye, as well as being quite humorous (in my opinion). It allows the product to be the centerpiece of the campaign and is well accompanied by its name and price, essential data and providing the information the user needs. You could give this chair as a gift to anyone!

Make sure your ads combine image + text in a clear way.

Make sure that the images you use are of high quality and that there are no blurred or pixelated elements. Sharing high quality ads provides a better overall impression of both the brand and the product; thus increasing the likelihood that the user will click on your ad or visit your store. In addition to this, the text should be optimally formatted. That is, the font, size and position should be appropriate. Make sure that people can read your text clearly. No matter how clever the slogan or tagline is, if the viewer doesn’t get a clear idea of the ad or can’t read it, it’s meaningless.

The KISS Principle: “Keep it Simple Stupid”.

Have you ever heard of the KISS principle? It’s a design principle that preaches simplicity. Keep your ads as simple and uncomplicated as possible. The simpler your ads are, the more likely people are to like and interact with them. What does this mean? Avoid adding unnecessary or too long and exhaustive texts and use images that don’t have too much background noise, and use slogans that are clear and straightforward? Simplicity rules! Here is an example of this from Virgin Mobile:

 

The tagline and caption are simple but clever. You don’t need to decipher or analyze anything to understand the ad. They manage to incorporate some (rather unique)Valentine’s Day elements to persuade the viewer to “break up” with their old phone provider and switch to Virgin Mobile.

Offer discounts, incentives and other benefits

Everyone loves perks. There is no better way or day to promote your brand and products than Valentine’s Day. Offer special discounts or benefits, like free shipping for example, on one of the most profitable days of the year. If your brand has or plans to offer any type of promotion, be sure to let users know! Display your promotions in your campaigns clearly to get your customers’ full attention. If you need help with your Valentine’s Day ads, you can use our Google Ads Creator to create simple and effective ads, while still having full access and control over them.

Create a catalog of gift ideas

A great way to interact with your customers and stand out from other brands is to offer a catalog of gift ideas. More and more brands and online retailers are starting to include virtual “gift guides” as part of their marketing strategy. Through these guides, you will not only promote your own products in an original way, but you will also be able to guide and encourage your customers to buy a specific product you want to sell. You can call these guides “Gifts for her” or “Gifts for him” or something like “The ultimate Valentine’s Day gift guide”, and promote it in your ads, the options are endless! You can refer to this Disney Valentine’s Day gift guide as a template.

 

 

If you found this post interesting and want to read more useful tips like these and keep up to date with the most important consumer dates of the year, be sure to check out and download our free Marketing Calendar.