Editor’s note: Phil Ahad is vice president at Toluna QuickSurveys, Washington, D.C.
Is Valentine’s Day an opportunity for unlikely brands to tap into a new consumer base? It very well could be. According to a national survey conducted by Toluna Quicksurveys, many of the 1,000 respondents suggest that the reason they exclusively shop holiday staples like flowers, chocolate and jewelry is because those seem to be the only retailers marketing to them aggressively this time of year. Big mistake? Perhaps. We’ve broken down the data to support this heartbreaking theory.
Up to 73 percent of respondents will celebrate the ever popular Hallmark holiday. At least 53 percent of respondents plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year – 20 percent are still unsure but brands should count on the potential of swaying these folks as well. What do consumers think of the marketing campaigns out there?
They want to know: Where are the Deals? A whopping 69 percent say that it seems the only retailers that have sales and deals for Valentine’s Day are those selling jewelry, flowers and candy.
Non-traditional Valentine’s Day brands: Seventy-one percent say they’d like to see more retailers – besides those selling jewelry, flowers and candy – offer sales and deals for Valentine’s Day. Additionally, brands are not making potential consumers feel the love this time of year (which is essentially the point, no?):
- The marketing efforts consumers see do not impress them: Twice as many respondents say Valentine’s Day commercials just remind them they’ll be alone on the holiday (24 percent), as opposed to the items they see on store shelves (12 percent).
- Thirty-five percent say they’d be more likely to purchase Valentine’s Day gifts for others if more retailers had sales for the holiday so they could get a good deal.
- Thirty percent say the commercials make the holiday feel superficial and that Valentine’s Day is more about material items than those we love.
All of this said, we will see a plethora of Valentine’s Day marketing efforts, products will be sold but consumers have spoken. It’s time for brands to think outside of the heart-shaped box.
