Ahhh, love. The four-letter word that, for some reason, has taken over the calendar for a solid quarter of the year. From Christmas to New Year’s, Lunar New Year, and then, the grand finale: Valentine’s Day. And honestly? I’m here for it. From hard-selling overpriced flowers to dreamy getaways to the City of Love, I love it all. But what I really love are the Valentine’s Day ads that remind us that true romance comes in all shapes, sizes and surprises. Let's look at four ads that have perfectly captured the spirit of the season, with a little Nat King Cole to help set the mood.
L is for “Love is love”
Source: Screenshot from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDgZuGIhHs
I remember watching the “Love Has No Labels” ad like it was just yesterday. 10 years later, it still serves as a powerful reminder that maybe there is some good left in the world. To me, it was a timeless piece of storytelling as much as it was a viral sensation.
Love, as the campaign so beautifully demonstrated, transcends age, gender, race and any other label you can think of. And with the clever use of an x-ray screen revealing diverse couples, friends and families before showing who they were, it cut through the Valentine’s Day clichés. No wonder it was the second most-viewed video of 2015!
O is for “Oh. Um. Bye.”
Source: KTLA
Pizza Hut served more than just extra cheese last Valentine’s Day — they also served a slice of closure. Leaning into the painfully awkward reality of pre-Valentine’s breakups, they became the brand that truly gets it. Whether one was the dumper or dumpee, the Goodbye Pie turned disaster into bite-sized relief, proving that even if love is fleeting, pizza is forever.
V is for “Men want Valentine Flowers, too”
Source: Ads of the World
DoorDash’s “Flowers Are for Every Valentine” ad got me wondering whether to tear up or sing along. Shedding light on the surprisingly grim reality that many men don’t receive flowers until their funeral, it used dark humour and a catchy musical number to flip the script. The message was clear: men want flowers, too. And by challenging a long-standing Valentine’s tradition, DoorDash may have just started a new one.
E is for “Erase Valentine’s Day”…?
Source: Screenshot from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7X4ZYBkp8
If all the romance is giving you the heebie-jeebies, Cadbury 5 Star has the perfect antidote — skip Valentine’s Day altogether. Their witty anti-Valentine's campaign had singles everywhere dreaming of a timezone-skipping escape past February 14th.
It's a great example of counter-positioning, targeting those for whom the special day holds no appeal. Instead of trying to push their product into the traditional narrative, Cadbury opted out. A 5-star bar and zero Valentine's Day worries? Now, that’s a treat.
Valentine's Day is a spectacle with a special place in the advertising world, driven by the pursuits of love and profit. But, whether the ads make you cringe, cry, or crave a pizza, the best ones share a common quality: honesty. It's this genuine depiction of love — in all its complexity — that makes them unforgettable, lingering in our memories long after the flowers have wilted.
Amanda Colleen Wijaya