3 Reasons Marketers Love Valentine’s Day
/Some people say that Valentine’s Day is a marketer’s holiday, a day created by Hallmark to sell more cards.
Others aren’t quite so cynical, and defend the day’s honor.
Regardless of where it comes from, I can say with some degree of certainty that marketers love Valentine’s Day.
Here’s why:
- Happiness. Valentine’s Day is a holiday with positive feelings surrounding it. And though it falls in the middle of February, for many people a cold and dark month, it brings with it a certain warmth. It’s much easier as a marketer to play off of positive emotions than negative ones. And it’s much easier to get people to spend money when they’re in a good mood then when they’re in a bad one.
- Love. Love will make people do crazy things. And love can make people buy crazy things. Marketers all over the country are pitching gift ideas, from heart-shaped chocolate boxes to diamonds, hoping that the love you feel this year is worth as much as your credit limit.
- Guilt. Another powerful emotion that people in long term relationships will tell you plays a role is guilt. Guilt can make people do things almost as crazy as love. Valentine’s Day might be the day to make up for a lackluster month or a big fight. And certainly nobody wants to deal with the guilt your partner lays on you when you don’t come through on V-Day.
Marketers have the power to turn any holiday into a reason to spend money. And the good news for us is, consumers keep proving us right.