Brands lean into grand gestures this Valentine’s Day
It’s not easy to stand out in a sea of red and pink Valentine’s Day campaigns, which is why some brands are leaning into grandiose promotions this month.
A number of brands are getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit with romantic promotional stunts. This year, floral company Venus et Fleur brought back its 10-foot arrangement pop-up in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. The campaign centers on a replica of the brand’s Grandiose Le Plein arrangement, mounted on a custom flatbed truck while it rolls through the city. Like last year, the company is giving customers a chance to win a $5,000 Valentine’s Day influencer package. Meanwhile, lab-grown diamond brand Brilliant Earth is offering couples date-night experiences complete with charcuterie boards and Champagne while they pick out their jewelry at the brand’s new Los Angeles showroom. These promos are meant to attract customers with higher purchasing power, and those willing to splash out on Valentine’s Day in a challenging economic environment.
To celebrate the opening of the new Beverly Hills showroom, Brilliant Earth is allowing customers to book a “date night” shopping experience starting this week. Reservations are offered weekly from Thursday through Saturday, beginning on February 12, with the first week’s slots already booked up.
Heading into Valentine’s Day, the jewelry brand wanted to keep the momentum it had over the holiday season. Colleen Clarke, vp of marketing at Brilliant Earth, said that much of the focus this year is on creating bespoke showroom experiences and community events that draw locals in.
For its Valentine’s Day promotions, the Beverly Hills location is offering the date-night experience for couples shopping for their jewelry together. “Everything is hyper-personalized to the visiting couple, like personalized jewelry trays that have their names and their preferences,” Clarke said. Other features during the shopping visit include an interactive dating quiz. “We’ll have some really cute Polaroid photo moments to make it feel extra special,” she added.
The new showroom’s design — including a horseshoe-shaped central display called the Eternity Bar — revolves around offering these new experiences, said Clarke. Inspired by customer behavior and feedback over the years, it was designed to evoke a restaurant setting, complete with a bar and bench seating, allowing customers to relax while trying on items.
“It offers this intimate atmosphere where we’ll have curated beverages and bites,” Clarke said. Each couple will receive a catered charcuterie platter from the nearby wine-and-cheese shop, Wally’s, along with a Champagne and chocolate toast.
Clarke said there are other attention-grabbing ways the company is promoting its Valentine’s Day offerings at its showrooms.
During the February 6 weekend, Brilliant Earth installed a claw machine in front of the Beverly Drive store, where shoppers and passersby could win limited-edition Brilliant Earth x Ring Pop cocktail rings, each valued at $1,790. The machine was also recently placed at the Palo Alto location.
Valentine’s Day is a big proposal and engagement season, and with an engagement ring being a high-ticket “forever” item, the purchase is increasingly being jointly considered by couples, Clarke said. That is why the company is leaning into making ring shopping an occasion that feels luxurious. “One of the biggest things we have found is couples are planning more intentionally and earlier,” she said. “They’re going through the shopping process together, and this space lends itself nicely to that.”
Looking across the landscape, not every brand is pushing grand-gesture messaging. As consumer sentiment remains in flux, some brands are pushing value-driven “affordable” offerings. Other brands like Ferrero are pushing non-romantic messaging, centered on self-care and self-gifting. At the same time, sales data shows contradictory trends, such as this Valentine’s Day generating a record high in spending in certain categories.
“The common thread is that companies are trying to find any and all ways possible to appeal to shoppers’ mindsets and capture the largest share of their wallets as possible,” said Greg Zakowicz, e-commerce and retail advisor at Omnisend. Even if consumers feel squeezed, Valentine’s Day is still an occasion where shoppers will spend to make their significant other feel special.
“The biggest question is not whether they [shoppers] will cut back, but where,” Zakowicz said. Some may opt for a low-key night over physical gifts, and shift their spending to experiences like dining out, or vice versa. “It’s a cat-and-mouse game between brands and shoppers to determine who is spending and on what, and I don’t think retailers quite know what to expect,” Zakowicz said.
Regardless of plans, Zakowicz said shoppers are seeking novelty and value, especially if they veer from the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts like heart-shaped chocolates and flowers. And that’s why more brands may be leaning into grand gestures this year. “To capitalize on this, brands would be smart to experiment with more stunt promotions,” Zakowicz said. This can be done through a giveaway with purchases over a special amount or a splashy offering like hiring singers for a live tableside serenade.
Clarke said that, so far, the personalized approach to Valentine’s Day promotions is bringing good foot traffic to Brilliant Earth’s showrooms. “We’re seeing a lot of engagement from customers, both within the physical space and across social media,” she said. “We’re excited to continue the momentum in this direction.”