Coming right on the heels of one of the most popular ad days of the year \u2014 the Super Bowl \u2014 the most interesting campaigns are not only making Valentine\u2019s Day less cheesy, they\u2019re even making the cynics want to join\u00a0in. We\u2019re going to take a look at how they do it \u2026 and we\u2019re guessing it has nothing to do with Cupid\u2019s arrow.<\/p>\n
Super Short Films<\/h2>\n
No, these aren\u2019t just commercials; some brands are going for a more cinematic approach when it comes to video. From\u00a0the camera movement to the plot lines, they\u2019re toying with the idea of making ads that are longer, more expansive pieces, rather than stuffing an entire storyline into a 30-second spot.<\/p>\n
Think less like the 2010 Super Bowl Old Spice ad<\/a>\u00a0and more like this video from Cartier<\/a> in which you see three proposals unfold over the course of several\u00a0minutes.<\/p>\n With the recent success of engaging, viral content from the likes of John Oliver<\/a>, we as viewers and consumers have proven that we\u2019re willing to dish out more than 10 seconds to watch a video if it’s beautiful and\/or has an interesting\u00a0story, and it seems brands are beginning to try their hand at that approach.<\/p>\n Another ad that\u2019s gaining traction<\/a> this year is from flower company Interflora<\/a> about a goth guy who falls in love with the preppy girl and so (spoiler alert) he comes to school one day dressed like a prep only to find that she\u2019s come dressed in goth attire.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Cartier and Interflora\u00a0ads aren\u2019t telling new tales. But it seems that, when it comes to love stories, it\u2019s best to either go with something extremely fresh and original or to just stick with what\u2019s familiar. After all, love is one of the oldest stories in the book.<\/p>\n But it seems there may also be a third option: tell a familiar story in a whole new way.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pXsVlwyolSY<\/p>\n While some companies have toyed with the medium of Instagram video, Gap is taking full advantage of its 15-second constraints and offering a 12-part micro-series called \u201cSpring is Weird.\u201d It’s a product-infused love story inspired by their spring line just in time for Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more is the story will be following two well-known actors: Paul Dano<\/a> and Jenny Slate<\/a>, who actually look like real people rather than models who can read lines. Even though they are more well-known faces than the ones in the Cartier ad, being more off-beat actors makes\u00a0the series even more intriguing and more real than the video from Cartier. (Albeit, Gap is a much more everyday brand than Cartier.)<\/p>\n The series won\u2019t just live on Gap\u2019s Instagram page<\/a>\u00a0but will also appear on dating apps and their Spring is Weird<\/a> campaign page where you can click through outfits and episodes week by week. The first one “aired” today<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing more and more bloggers and Insta-famous folks being tapped by companies to star in advertisements. For example, Kordale and Kaleb Lewis, famous for their Instagram feed, are starring in a\u00a0Nikon ad<\/a>\u00a0with their three adorable children. If there\u2019s one time it\u2019s best to stay genuine and real, it\u2019s when you\u2019re talking about love.<\/p>\n Clothing brand Everlane<\/a> is a relatively new name in the fashion world and they’re already known for their business model of keeping it real. The business is founded on the idea of creating simple, timeless, high-quality fashion built on a foundation of radical transparency<\/a>.<\/p>\n For their Valentine\u2019s Day campaign, they promoted their Breton Stripe shirt with this copy: \u201cStarted with the boys. Stolen by the girls. Just in time for Valentine\u2019s: Breton Stripes for all.\u201d<\/p>\n On the\u00a0shirt\u2019s page<\/a>, you can click through the stories of all of the couples in the ads complete with photos, videos and quotes about their style and quirks with the hashtag #Sharestripes. This is an easy campaign to extend before and after Valentine\u2019s Day without feeling too holiday-specific or over-the-top cheesy. Rather than stand out from their brand, they chose a campaign that blends in seamlessly.<\/p>\n While Everlane’s new model is being accepted with open arms,\u00a0Hallmark\u00a0is up\u00a0against a handful of online letter-writing services<\/a> and the rise of the e-card, struggling to stay relevant. Still they didn’t get too over-the-top and gimmicky with their Valentine’s Day campaign. Instead, they definitely kept things real without a card in sight to\u00a0mark a holiday invented for their industry.<\/p>\n They simply interviewed\u00a0real couples, one person at a time about how they met and what they like about each other. The kicker is when they ask each person to describe their feelings for their significant other without using the word \u201clove.\u201d The couple is then brought together to watch each of the testimonials side-by-side and\u00a0tears ensue for them and the viewer. They’re calling it the #PutYourHeartToPaper<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n Is the hashtag a bit too long? Yes. But with a couple million views across this series of seven videos so far, it\u2019s proving that people still love a real, honest love story.<\/p>\n The campaign got a lot of attention recently because one of the videos\u00a0features a same-sex\u00a0couple, but those headlines definitely don\u2019t give you the full scope of all of the\u00a0interviews. To carry over the campaign from YouTube, on their campaign page<\/a>\u00a0below one of their featured videos, there are cards and advice articles like \u201cWhat to write in a Valentine\u2019s Day card.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a startup or a big brand<\/a>, everyone loves a fun business partnership. When an iconic brand and a startup get together it looks good on both of them, making the more established brand look timely and youthful and making the startup look like it\u2019s right up there with the big dogs. So far, Valentine\u2019s Day has already prompted some innovative branding teams that together are able to offer deals and services that they can\u2019t fulfill on their own, especially not with the dual brand following.<\/p>\n Any casual social dater of 2015 knows that day dates are a great way to meet someone under less pressure. Even more casual and appropriately non-committal is the coffee date. On Valentine\u2019s Day when you open the Match.com<\/a> app, you will have the option to \u201cMeet at Starbucks.\u201d According to Ad Week<\/a>, when you click that, Match will set up a date for you and someone else at a Starbucks nearby. They\u2019re calling it the World\u2019s Largest #StarbucksDate.<\/p>\n Starbucks\u2019s decision to pair with Match.com rather than the more casual dating apps like Tinder or OKCupid keeps this promotion<\/a> campaign from looking too gimmicky, and even without a coupon code (which wouldn\u2019t hurt, right?) more people will certainly open their Match.com app if no other reason to test out the Starbucks feature for a day.<\/p>\n Sidecar<\/a> has already made a move toward getting more use out of their ridesharing model with the addition of\u00a0People + Packages<\/a>.This feature lets them\u00a0partner up with e-commerce companies to make deliveries faster and\u00a0at\u00a0rates up to 80% lower than what you\u2019d usually pay for same-day shipping. Until recently, this feature has only been available in San Francisco, but as of Monday, it\u2019s available nationwide and they\u2019re publicizing it by offering 20% off flowers<\/a> via 1800Flowers.com<\/a>\u00a0which Sidecar drivers will deliver themselves.<\/p>\n In addition to the promotion, you can enter to win a free bouquet for your significant other. Another way they might make a promotion like this more fun would be to hand out impromptu bouquets to riders who could also post pictures to their social networks with the campaign hashtag #DeliverLove. Uber is often doing things like this, their most recent campaign being the Uber Puppy Bowl<\/a> in which they delivered a puppy playtime to people.<\/p>\n Creative lifestyle site Brit + Co<\/a> is bringing their passion for all things colorful and 3D-printed to V-Day by sending out 3D-printed roses<\/a>\u00a0either by the stem or in a bouquet. It\u2019s a great way to extend their existing Shop<\/a> feature where they sell the goods of other makers and instead offer a more immediate product right from their own offices. Not to mention, it\u2019s an extension of their DIY flare.\u00a0For an extra personal touch, they\u2019re working with TaskRabbit<\/a> to hand deliver the roses during the week of Valentine\u2019s Day throughout San Francisco.<\/p>\n Postmates<\/a> has been a San Francisco favorite for a while and this year for Valentine\u2019s Day they\u2019re delivering way more than takeout. In partnership with ThirdLove Lingerie<\/a>, they\u2019re offering lacy underthings\u00a0delivered on-demand. This idea is perfect for last-minute gifting, but the campaign would have more longevity if like with Sidecar, it was part of a bigger push\u00a0to expand the scope of their delivery services\u2014\u00a0in the case of Postmate, beyond food. Still, it\u2019s definitely a more unique delivery.<\/p>\n So it seems that, without a single mention of heart-shaped chocolate or a flying infant archer, that companies are getting right to the heart of things with honest love stories and extended offers on services we already know and trust. Perhaps the days of human-sized teddy bears are over, and our attempts to make a commercial holiday about love a bit more genuine will make all of the red and pink a bit more palatable.<\/p>\n![\"cartier-commercial\"](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10202533\/cartier-commercial.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPutting a Real Face on Love<\/h2>\n
![\"Everlane\"](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201349\/Everlane.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"put-your-heart-to-paper-hallmark\"](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201759\/put-your-heart-to-paper-hallmark.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPerfect Partnerships<\/h2>\n
Starbucks + Match.com<\/h3>\n
![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201055\/Screen-Shot-2015-02-10-at-7.08.25-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSidecar + 1800Flowers.com<\/h3>\n
![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201109\/Screen-Shot-2015-02-10-at-3.47.38-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBrit + Co + Taskrabbit<\/h3>\n
![\"Roses_SidebySide\"](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201039\/Roses_SidebySide.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPostmates + ThirdLove Lingerie<\/h3>\n
![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/10201021\/Screen-Shot-2015-02-10-at-7.57.43-PM.png\")
<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n