Do you hate Valentine’s Day?
Marketers taking note, trying to find more avenues that can resonate even with naysayers
Lilly Calman is not in the mood this Valentine’s Day for the flowers, chocolates or a romantic dinner for two, especially after a recent breakup.
“I’m very angry,” said Calman, 26, adding that it had been painful to see all the holiday paraphernalia in store aisles.
She found a more fitting outlet for her mood this year: a fundraiser for San Antonio Zoo that will symbolically name a roach or rodent after an ex and feed it to one of the zoo’s animals.
“The visual image of him getting eaten by a Komodo dragon is pretty satisfying,” said Calman, who donated $25 for the rat option.
The annual campaign has raised more than $235,000 since the zoo first ran it in 2020, underscoring the appeal of alternative Valentine’s Day rituals for people who are uninterested in the coupledom of it all.
The traditions of Valentine’s Day bring strong feelings, both for and against. Do you appreciate a cute tradition? Or do you hold it in contempt as a consumerist scam? Critics have blamed it for upholding a narrow-minded model of relationships as heterosexual and monogamous.
But the holiday, and its spending, isn’t going anywhere. A majority in the United States plan to celebrate or mark the day this year, according to this year’s version of an annual survey by the National Retail Federation, a lobbying group for the industry.
Those celebrations, however, have broadened to include friends and family, pets — and yourself. Marketers are taking note, and trying to find more avenues that resonate with even the naysayers.
“Valentine’s Day is a holiday that has basically morphed over time,” said Barbara Bickart, associate professor of marketing at Questrom School of Business at Boston University. “Marketers are figuring out ways to be more inclusive and sensitive.”
The candy brand Sweethearts this year launched a “situationships” edition with blurred writing for those in undefined relationships. They sold out quickly, said Evan Brock, vice president for marketing for
Spangler Candy Co. in a statement.
Spending on romantic relationships still dominates the holiday, but demographics offer insights on a fringe that is growing. About 30% of Americans are single, according to a 2022 survey from Pew Research Center, and more than half of them say they are not looking to date.
“Marketers alienating entire groups of consumers — not only is it bad for society — but it’s bad business in general,” said Angeline Close Scheinbaum, associate professor of marketing at Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University.
“This is a prime time to communicate with people,” said Peter McGraw, a behavioral economist at University of Colorado Boulder and the author of “Solo: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own,” adding that businesses could be doing more to cater to a large group. He pointed to the spending spree on Alibaba’s Singles Day on Nov. 11, a lucrative day for online shopping in China.
Even the self-care market, which has become a multibillion-dollar industry, now plays into the holiday. Searches on Etsy for “self-gift” before Valentine’s Day have increased 12% this year compared with last year, the company said.