K: Dumm.. Da…Dum Dum…..
Yes that most feared holiday called Valentine's is coming up later this week. Honestly, after reading that sentence did you instantly think of pink, red, and all things cupid? Why do people dread this one day? Simple--consumer marketing pushes a view that valentines is for couples only, and gifts need to be pricey. I'm here to rid you of that view and open your mind to how great Valentine's can become. Hopefully it will turn out to be your favorite holiday too (because I'm totally obsessed with it).
First off, Valentines is not just for couples. Seriously…have you looked through the greeting card aisle of Hallmark, Target, or Wal-Mart? Some may say this is a ploy for the greeting card companies to sell more cards, but honestly I think receiving a friendly valentine is awesome.
Think back to the days of elementary and how you had to give everyone in the class a card or treat. How great would it be if everyone still did that? But, no the idea is that if you don't have a "special someone" then you do not get to participate in this holiday. No gift for you. LAME.
Second, gifts do not have to include diamonds and lingerie. (But hey, they will always be accepted!) If your budget is $0, than consider sending a e-valentine. I received a dancing bear from XM Radio. I love it when companies do this kind of interactive web marketing. If you don't think this works than consider how Office Depot Elf Yourself was showcased on the Today Show.
A: I believe I actually created about 10 versions of the Elf Yourself application and sent it out to around 10 people everytime. Aside from filling my friends' email inboxes with mounds of unnecessary emails, I also advertised for Office Depot 100 times for free. Not a bad deal for Office Depot! I love viral marketing if it is executed properly.
Valentine's day is a great time for businesses to utilize marketing opportunities-send out campy valentines to your clients. Send out a packet of green M&M's to stand out from the crowd (but make sure whoever you send it to has a good sense of humor). In fact, the green M&M site is an example of a "viral marketing" campaign.
If you like to bake, make homemade cookies to deliver to potential clients/current clients to stand out from the store bought candy and baked goods. Depending on your business, you might want to sponsor a singles Valentine's party at a local restaurant, bar or club. The possibilities are endless if you think creatively...There's always an excuse to get your name in front of potential business, Valentine's day happens to be one of them.
Yes that most feared holiday called Valentine's is coming up later this week. Honestly, after reading that sentence did you instantly think of pink, red, and all things cupid? Why do people dread this one day? Simple--consumer marketing pushes a view that valentines is for couples only, and gifts need to be pricey. I'm here to rid you of that view and open your mind to how great Valentine's can become. Hopefully it will turn out to be your favorite holiday too (because I'm totally obsessed with it).
First off, Valentines is not just for couples. Seriously…have you looked through the greeting card aisle of Hallmark, Target, or Wal-Mart? Some may say this is a ploy for the greeting card companies to sell more cards, but honestly I think receiving a friendly valentine is awesome.
Think back to the days of elementary and how you had to give everyone in the class a card or treat. How great would it be if everyone still did that? But, no the idea is that if you don't have a "special someone" then you do not get to participate in this holiday. No gift for you. LAME.
Second, gifts do not have to include diamonds and lingerie. (But hey, they will always be accepted!) If your budget is $0, than consider sending a e-valentine. I received a dancing bear from XM Radio. I love it when companies do this kind of interactive web marketing. If you don't think this works than consider how Office Depot Elf Yourself was showcased on the Today Show.
A: I believe I actually created about 10 versions of the Elf Yourself application and sent it out to around 10 people everytime. Aside from filling my friends' email inboxes with mounds of unnecessary emails, I also advertised for Office Depot 100 times for free. Not a bad deal for Office Depot! I love viral marketing if it is executed properly.
Valentine's day is a great time for businesses to utilize marketing opportunities-send out campy valentines to your clients. Send out a packet of green M&M's to stand out from the crowd (but make sure whoever you send it to has a good sense of humor). In fact, the green M&M site is an example of a "viral marketing" campaign.
If you like to bake, make homemade cookies to deliver to potential clients/current clients to stand out from the store bought candy and baked goods. Depending on your business, you might want to sponsor a singles Valentine's party at a local restaurant, bar or club. The possibilities are endless if you think creatively...There's always an excuse to get your name in front of potential business, Valentine's day happens to be one of them.
K: Back to surviving Valentines day if you're single...Who are those people in your lives that help you get through the day? It could be the barista at your local coffee shop that always knows what cup of joe you order or perhaps the trusty secretary in your office. If you don't think you are ready to start handing out Valentines on your own, then try this year to say "Happy Valentines Day" to people you share an elevator with or walk by. I guarantee you will get some reactions and make someone's day better, which, in turn, will make your Valentine's day exceptional.
A: We'll be listing our favorite viral Valentine's campaigns later this week. We'll post sometime before the big dreaded (or anticipated) day. We hope your day goes better than Cupid's...see the video below.
9 comments:
Valentine's Day-Bah humbug!! I know it sounds terrible but enough is enough!! It's not just because I'm old and have been married for 31+ yrs. It's shoved down our throats- almost as bad as Christmas! I'm not against love and showing your significant other that you care. Everyday should be Valentines Day if it were a perfect world. I might as well work it like everyones else. Got any ideas for some free marketing gimmicks? There I've said it and I feel so much better. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Have you tried to get a reservation for Thurs? Forget about it! Surprise your sig other and take him/her the day after or make up your own day of love!
Okay, everything I just typed was erased somehow so here I go again. I have to agree with my auntie on this one. I thought I would love V-day after I got married, but here it is, almost Feb. 14th and I am still annoyed. I feel sorry for guys searching for the perfect gift (the day before of course) and worrying that it won't be enough to make their woman happy. I feel as if these poor guys (including my husband) worry themselves so much that they may possibly develop ulcers and gastritis trying to do the "valentine deed." Are we the only country that pressures this holiday onto society??? Just write me a cheesy love note or something. I wouldn't even care if it wasn't on V-day. I feel like the world's agenda for V-day is: "eat at fancy restaurant, open box of chocolates, have sex, go to bed." Don't you agree?
Oh yes, I believe the best Valentines gifts can also be the cheapest. My favorite gift so far has been a heart box where the chocolates were already eaten , and then replaced with boxes of Junior Mints!
Also I always hit up the local WalGreens on Feb. 15 because all that candy is half off!
Take the opportunity to express how much you care every day. Not by the material things you give, the pithy thoughts expressed in a card or by excursions to an expensive restaurant where you worry more about the bill than paying attention to your "sig other." Be there non-judgmentally and unconditionally for them in the tough times, the boring moments, when they most need a hug and they're most insecure. Say you love them by what you do and are when you are with them...every day. "make up your own day of love" every day...
In a perfect world, you would do everything that Drew has listed above me. Now in the real world, distractions, crazy work schedules and day to day errands can get in the way of making your own love day everyday.
Valentines is a reminder to do just that.
You can't dislike Valentines because its point is to do the things you wish would happen everyday, because then you could dislike Thanksgiving on that same idea. Shouldn't we be thankful everyday for what we've been given, and always be close to our family?
Alas I don't think I'll ever get anyone to come over to my Valentines obsession.
Whether you like it or not, Valentine's day IS a great day to utilize for a marketing opportunity. Whether you're marketing yourself to a potential mate, marketing your love to a current mate, or marketing your business to potential clients. It exists, so take advantage of it in any way that you can. Make it your own.
Beautifully said Marketeer A
Valentine's Day- where does one start with this red-adorned day of coercion and materialism? Too many couples spend all year downing their significant other until approximately one week before V-Day. Then, among the female class, discussions of what their man is going to give them provides some uptick in pride for their man as they use the potential gift as a way to get a leg up on their friends. The males talk about how they may get lucky depending on the level of bounty to be delivered in exchange for booty. The game is friendly but one cannot miss the undertone of "it better be good" floating in the ether. February 15th is full of bragging and showing off with the usual relational tension returning by February 20th. Whatever happened to just saying, "I love you" at least once a day and suprising your significant other every now and then with small tokens of affection? My wife and I personally boycott V-Day.
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