Can early Millennials and Gen X be a potential target audience for Valentine’s Day?

As February begins, conversations about relationships, love, gifting, and dating start dominating the advertising world. 

Valentine’s Day has been a prominent event in the Indian advertising calendar and as it approaches, brands and advertisers are gearing up to go all out to communicate with consumers during this season of love. From Cadbury Silk’s Unforgettable Valentine’s Gift to Little Hearts The Gift, in the past, brands have woven stories around innocent love and heartfelt emotions. 

But more recently, consumer wants are changing. Moving away from traditional interpretations of love, audiences are increasingly drawn to narratives that are inclusive and authentic, while they also prefer personalisation.

However, as brands race to fit in and redo their traditional perspectives of Valentine’s Day campaigns, how can they get their message across the right TG? Experts dissect. 

What do consumers want? 

Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love and building connections. It's a time when the feeling of mushiness and comfort is a universal theme, and in the past, this theme has been evident in ads.

Be it McD’s emphasis on meet-cutes, or Spotify’s take on our songs, brands have effectively nailed these comforting storytellings during the month of love. Experts believe that brands can continue to leverage these deep feelings to build connections with their consumers. 

Pooja Manek, Creative + Founding member at Talented said, “There’s no better ‘Feels Day’ than Valentine’s Day. No matter which theme you pick, if you’re able to make them feel something deeply on the day that is all about emotions, expressions and feelings, you have done your job. No narratives are outdated because love will never be outdated. Love stories are unique but love is universal. The experience of singledom is unique but self-love is universal. It’s not the narrative but how nuanced and well-crafted the execution of the narrative is that makes a piece of work stand out amidst the Valentine’s Day clutter.”

Shivani Kamdar, Associate Creative Director at SoCheers, with Social Samosa said that during Valentine’s, consumers want ads to be relevant, authentic and have emotional resonance in them. 

And by making such ads, brands can increase consumer demand for their products. Because, a recent report stated that when customers feel connected to brands, more than half of consumers (57%) will increase their spending with that brand and 76% will buy from them over a competitor. 

Personalisation has become a recurring trend in ads in recent times. This trend is a reflection of what consumers seek from brands. 71% of consumers prefer ads that are tailored to their interests and shopping habits. 

Experts believe that consumer preference should be translated into their V-Day campaigns as well. 

Kamdar said, “[Consumers] seek personalised experiences that demonstrate genuine understanding and offer unique insights into their desires. This translates to a desire for brands to move beyond generic campaigns and deliver something truly special. Consumers appreciate fresh perspectives and thoughtful observations that resonate with their individual experiences of love and celebration. They eagerly await innovative and personalized messaging that feels authentic and speaks directly to them.”

This Valentine's Day, Kamdar expects brands to be more inclusive and diverse, tell authentic stories and show realness, share personalised experiences for consumers, and focus on creating emotional connections – moving beyond materialism and bringing humour and lightheartedness into their storytelling. 

In the past, Peacock x Duolingo’s Love Language ad showed the humorous side of love while being authentic to its products and resonating with the consumers. Similarly, OYO’s V-Day campaign starring Neena Gupta and Swanand Kirkire stood out in the clutter of young love, showing the story of a middle-aged couple navigating the complications of love. 

Agli baar emoji se bhi kaam chal jayega 🧸🐻
Teddy was my chuddy buddy, buddy. #TeddyDay #YeRishtaHaiKhiska #Valentinesweek@Neenagupta001 pic.twitter.com/zQlTOBHUm6

— OYO (@oyorooms) February 10, 2021

Can brands target elderly folks during V-day?

Valentine’s is a time when gifting is at its peak and consumer spending habits witness an uptick. According to a recent survey by NRF, the total spending on gifts for significant others this year is expected to reach $14.2B, globally. 

The same report also suggests that the 45-50+ age group spends more than $100 on average. The older cohort can be a TG that brands might be sleeping on during Valentine’s. 

According to a recent report by Ipsos India released earlier this week, 41% of Gen X felt that their generation is not at all well-represented in the ads today. While talking about the report, Ashwini Sirsikar, Group Service Line Leader, UU and Synthesio, Ipsos India told the media, “While much is written, spoken and known about Gen Z, there is very little which is known about Gen X.”

The report also suggested that the portrayal of Gen X in ads is often stereotypical – as the ignorant, tech-unsavvy folks, just as providers who need to be educated either by their smarter kids or an expert.​

Experts think that the reason that many brands haven’t targeted this age group is because Valentine’s traditionally calls for conversations around young love. 

Aditya Mehendale, National Creative Director at Schbang said, “Valentine’s Day has traditionally always been about expressing love. The word “valentines” itself refers to an early greeting card. For this reason, V day has always been about young love and new love, where expressing feelings for the first time takes the forefront.”

Shivani Kamdar has a similar view on this. She said, “It is simply because Millennials and Gen Z form the largest population that's present on the internet.” 

Sagar Mehta, Co-Founder and Creative Chief, W.A.Y.S. (What Are You Saying) thinks that the reason might be the lack of participation from this audience in the first place.

He said, “In a year when a couple has probably experienced [major] life events, it is very difficult to convince them that their love needs to be celebrated on Feb 14 & not on any of these more real moments. Hence the lack of participation from the age group & therefore fewer attempts at reaching out to them from brands.”

But despite the hesitation from brands in the past, experts are of the opinion that people between 35-50 might also be a lucrative market to explore during Valentine’s. 

Himanshu Arora, Co-Founder, Social Panga thinks that there is an opportunity for brands to broaden their narratives and include diverse representations of love across stages. 

He said, “Celebrating relationships at various stages, including those that extend beyond the dating landscape, can create a more inclusive and relatable approach to Valentine's Day marketing.”

Generally, V-day ads are mushy and young. While brands have rightly identified that some young people don't like celebrating Valentine's Day and have taken a more anti-love approach in their campaigns, love comes in different forms. 

Communication, at the moment, is largely about young people who are a part of the dating landscape. Even millennials who have been in a long-term relationship or are married, rarely find themselves represented in a campaign. Love can be vintage and about small gestures, too. It doesn't fade after a kid (or, after it is legally married or has been together a long time (well, at least not in all cases). 

One of the iconic campaigns by ICICI Prudential, which wasn't a Valentine's Day campaign but celebrated old, comfortable love is ‘Bande Ache Hai.’ It showed an old couple in a cafe and the husband (assuming they are married) protecting his wife from direct sunlight that bothered her. It also went on to show a father making sure his daughter and wife get on the boat well and being protective of them. This campaign showed how small gestures of love go a long way and are often overlooked. 

This campaign also resonated well with the young audiences and gave them hope. 

Mahendale spoke about love at different stages and how brands can look into this, and said, “The expression of love holds just as important a value as a relationship matures, small everyday signals are everything, finding a way to factor that into Valentine’s Day stories is now critical. Similarly accommodating the concept of finding love later in life which is a growing reality is very important too. Love has many different faces and our stories of love need to reflect that plurality.”

Embracing love of different forms

Shivani Kamdar thinks that different perspectives can lead to better marketing.

Today, the dating landscape has changed drastically. Traditional forms of love and relationships aren’t the norm anymore. Situationships, Zombieing, Breadcrumbing and Textlationship are just a few added terminologies in the Gen-Z world of dating. 

And going beyond conventional expressions of love has been embraced by brands as well. 

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The trend seems to bleed into the brand’s V-Day campaigns as well. This year, the global brand Sweethearts, which is known for its conversation candies, launched a limited-edition Valentine's Day set for those who are in a ‘situationship’.

Experts think that moving ahead, more brands and advertisers need to embrace these multiple forms of love and relationships during Valentine’s Day, to truly converse with the users. 

Aditya Mahendale said, “There are several nuanced relationship types that exist today and it’s critical for brands to start familiarising themselves with the right vocabulary so that consumers feel more seen. Having a differentiated voice and speaking to an often ignored cohort can make all the difference.”

Inclusivity doesn’t just stop at showcasing ‘modern and unconventional’ love stories. Brands can move beyond heteronormativity and ableism, too.   

Sagar Mehta said, “I foresee a lot of LGBTQ+ stories being shared & I hope they’re all made from a space of inclusion & acceptance rather than just as a tool to stand out & appear woke.” 

Other than the general talk about love, relationships and togetherness, V-Day also sparks conversations about being single and anti-Valentine.

And brands often try to balance both these trending conversations during the month of ‘love’. When it comes to talking to both these cohorts, Cadbury often cleverly divides it up within its brands. Similar to last year’s V-Day strategy, this year, using its flagship Daily Milk, the brand targeted couples by launching the ‘The Story of Us’ campaign. 

On the other hand, the brand used 5 Star to connect with singles with its ‘Erase Valentine’s Day’ campaign. 

As brands gear up to celebrate the month of love and showcase diverse forms of stories in their campaigns, experts pointed out a few dos and don’ts to swear by to better connect with their TG. 

Dos:

• Embrace inclusivity and diversity in storytelling.
• Offer personalized experiences and messages.
• Keep the tone light-hearted and relatable.
• Celebrate love in all its forms, beyond traditional romantic relationships.
• Stay true to brand identity and values.

Don'ts:

• Rely on outdated stereotypes or clichés.
• Force narratives that don't resonate authentically with the brand or audience.
• Overlook the importance of inclusivity and diversity in storytelling.
• Neglect the preferences and experiences of mid-age individuals in Valentine's Day campaigns.
• Forget the importance of authenticity and genuine emotional connections in consumer engagement.

While targeting younger demographics remains prevalent, there's a growing call for inclusivity across age groups. Experts believe that by embracing diverse narratives, having personalised narratives and celebrating love in all its forms, brands can truly resonate with their audience and make Valentine's Day a more inclusive celebration for everyone.

By understanding consumer expectations, embracing inclusivity, and staying true to brand values, brands can create Valentine's Day campaigns that resonate deeply with their audience and leave a lasting impression.