Be Mine: A Brief History of Valentine's Day Marketing - Deepstash
The Definitive Guide to Hygge

Learn more about marketingandsales with this collection

How to create a cosy and comfortable home environment

How to cultivate a sense of gratitude and contentment

The benefits of slowing down and enjoying simple pleasures

The Definitive Guide to Hygge

Discover 37 similar ideas in

It takes just

16 mins to read

The roots of Valentine's day lie in ancient Rome

The roots of Valentine's day lie in ancient Rome

The ancient Roman festival Lupercalia took place annually on February 15 and involved primitive forms of courtship and matchmaking.

St. Valentine was also executed on February 14, around 278 A.D. Legend has it that he befriended the jailer's daughter and wrote a letter to her the night before his execution, then signed it, "From Your Valentine."

Two centuries later, Pope Gelasius ordered that Lupercalia be replaced with February 14, observing St.Valentine's Day.

The Romans also constructed the idea of Cupid, a god of love, which was adapted from Eros, a Greek god of passion and fertility.

13

405 reads

Shakespeare and Chaucer in love

Shakespeare and Chaucer in love

Valentine's Day first became romanticiced by classic authors.

Chaucer (1300s)

Chaucer's epic poem The Parliament of Fowls referenced "Seynt Valentynes day."

Shakespeare (16th century)

Shakespeare popularised love with his "Sonnet 18" "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" In Hamlet, the character Ophelia recites a song about a young lady's experience with the holiday, "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's day," and "To be your Valentine."

12

187 reads

The 17th Century and Beyond

The 17th Century and Beyond

By the 1700s, Valentine's Day made its way to the United States. It became traditional for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. In England, the Industrial Revolution eventually included the production of fancy valentines.

When American Esther Howland received her first English valentine greeting in 1847, she believed there would be an American market for these formal, English-style greetings. She created the earliest American Valentine's Day greeting cards.

12

123 reads

Valentine's Day marketing 1700 - 1800s

Valentine's Day marketing 1700 - 1800s

  • 1714: Charles II of Sweden started communicating with flowers. This tradition set the stage for red flowers to be exchanged for Valentine's Day.
  • 1822: The Cadbury chocolate company sells the first heart-shaped box of chocolates.
  • 1849: Howland hopes to earn $200 with Valentine's Day cards but instead earns 25X.
  • 1866: Conversation candies are developed.
  • 1870: Howland incorporates her booming card business as the New England Valentine Company. In 1881, she sold her company to George C. Whitney Company.

13

120 reads

Valentine's Day marketing 1900s

Valentine's Day marketing 1900s

  • 1902: Conversation candies become heart-shaped.
  • 1906: American Greetings was founded and eventually became one of Whitney's chief competitors.
  • 1910: Hallmark is founded.
  • 1913: Hallmark produces its first Valentine's day card.
  • 1948: The De Beers diamond company launched its "A Diamond is Forever" campaign, promoting the message that jewellery can be used to express love.
  • 1986: Hershey's began packaging Kisses candies in pink and red foil for Valentine's day.

13

93 reads

Valentine's Day marketing 2000s

Valentine's Day marketing 2000s

  • 2004: Marketers continue to embrace the media, and an influx of high-quality and high-budget commercials mark the holiday. One iconic commercial was the mini-romance drama Le Film that promoted Chanel No. 5 perfume.
  • 2005: YouTube was invented because "three guys on Valentine's Day had nothing to do."
  • 2013: Uber tolls out "Romance on Demand," allowing users to send flowers on Valentine's Day via the app.
  • 2018 - present day. Valentine's Day marketing campaigns have gone mostly digital with a strong social media presence.

14

105 reads

CURATED BY

kallic

I'm passionate about music and cooking. Also my dog is named after a superhero.

Ready for the next level?

Read Like a Pro

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the World’s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

samz905

Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

FAQ

Claim Your Limited Offer

Get Deepstash Pro

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates