When thinking of Valentine’s Day, the images that come to mind are often heart-shaped chocolate boxes, red roses, and teddy bears. While these gifts will likely never go out of style, the rising preference for experiential gestures has shaped the way brands go about marketing on social media. If you took to social, or appeal to consumers in the age range of 20–34 years old, you may have noticed this last Valentine’s Day.
Here are just a few of the common disruptions, clever adaptations, and Valentine’s Day social media ideas brands should implement into their social media strategy.
- Historical Relationship Shift
According to The Atlantic, it was only 26 years ago when the average age for a woman to be married was 23, compared to the age of 27 today. Similarly, for men, it was 26 in 1990, and today, the average millennial male ties the knot at age 29. Marriage and relationship rates were much higher at the time, and even higher in previous generations. Nowadays, fewer younger adults are connecting with the “traditional” meaning behind Valentine’s Day. They find new ways to celebrate that aren’t so geared toward relationships and marriage.
Clever Brand Response: Shift Valentine’s Day away from couples and focus more on the individual. Taco Bell, for example, has made their tacos the de facto significant other for the day and highlights the hashtag #singlesawarenessday.
- Valentine’s Day is a Day for Family and Friends too
While it’s true that Valentine’s Day is for celebrating love, it‘s often only surrounding the love of a significant other. With millennials, this does hold true, although, a surprising trend has emerged of millennials celebrating family and friends on Valentine’s Day. For a day with friends, a popular hashtag has arisen: #GalentinesDay. And in a recent survey, 47% of millennials say they plan on spending money on a gift for a family member for Valentine’s Day.
Clever Brand Response: Instill the idea of gifting to a family member or friend in the minds of their followers. According to GoDaddy, around Feb. 13th, emails containing the phrase “Galentine’s Day” (the holiday inspired by Parks and Recreation) have an average open rate of 40% — that’s 15% to 20% higher than industry averages.
- Challenging Traditional Values
The idea of ownership, which has been central to previous generations, is not as prevalent among Millennials. Psychology Today notes “The long-term commitment that’s by nature a part of most big-ticket purchases such as cars, homes or even luxury handbags is less appealing to a generation that gets bored more easily and values immediacy.” This is why expect to see Millennials eating out and buying Groupons instead of just getting the box of chocolates.
Clever Brand Response: Be different. Millennials love to stand out and love brands that help them do so.
- Social Media is the New Diamond Necklace
A new gift brings a sense of gratification, especially when one can wear and show it off. It’s a boost of confidence, and that’s what Valentine’s gifts of the past were mainly centered around. Enter the under-paid and under-employed Millennial generation. While some of Gen Y still enjoy some bigger ticket items, others may shy away in fear these more expensive gifts may cause them to look materialistic. For a generation with less money and time to shop, a photo or post on social media calling out a friend is often an acceptable birthday present. With millennials, it really is the thought that counts.
Clever Brand Response: Creating sharable content that encourages users to repost with a specific hashtag. It’s not a revolutionary idea, but when done well, it generates results.
If you’re ready to optimize your social media strategy to fit the rising trends and demands for Valentine’s Day, turn to the strategic social media experts from Blue Bear Creative — let’s chat!
Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-why-behind-the-buy/201602/how-millennials-do-valentines-day
https://www.ypulse.com/post/view/inforgraphic-snapshot-millennials-and-valentines-day
