Valentine’s Day Branding

Everybody has heard the advertising slogan ‘Sex Sells’. And this could not be truer when it comes to the sexiest of the annual celebrations Valentine’s Day. February 14 is lathered in love, romance, warmth, intimacy and of course sex!

The very beginnings of Valentine’s Day and it’s patron saint St Valentine however are surrounded with several different stories which end in heartache. Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St. Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A.D. 270. However, his true identity was questioned as early as A.D. 496 by Pope Gelasius I. One account from the 1400s describes Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. A different account claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II on the outskirts of Rome.

…a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed.

Valentine’s Day has since become an enormous calendar event with an estimated 141 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion, behind Christmas. (Source: Hallmark research)

And of course with any popular day the advertisers and the branding gurus jump on board to sell their products and publicise themselves. Below are some cheeky Valentine’s Day branded posters that use romance and sex to sell.

Company: Splash, 2008

Company: Dom Francisco Restaurant

Company: Wurst, 2012

Company Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery

Company: Corona

Company: McDonald’s, 2004