Valentine's day is one of my favourite times of year when it comes to PR campaigns, it's a date that every brand gets on board with (or should be) and has brought out some brands best work. However, in my opinion, the build up to Valentine's Day 2019 hasn't been as 'extra' as last years, think Greggs' Valentine's 2018 campaign. As you probably already know the big day falls this Thursday so I've highlighted my favourite 2019 brand contributions to the annual celebration of love (so far)...
Marks & Spencer's Love Sausage
This has been widely spoke about across national media for obvious reasons, because of course what says romance more than a giant, heart-shaped, bacon-wrapped sausage? The £5 sausage is "lightly truffled" and M&S suggest you serve it with two fried eggs in the middle.
KFC's Popcorn Chicken Flower Bouquet & Colonel Sanders Rug competition
KFC really have went all out this valentine's in an attempt to stand out from their competitors from chicken bouquets to a Colonel Sanders bear rug! They've already supplied the scented candles, so it only makes sense for KFC to have partnered with Reddit to host a competition to giveaway a Colonel Sanders Rug to complete the 'perfect' Valentine's Day night. (See below, it's actually quite scary)
To enter the competition, fans simply need to pick one of three ways to play, including a 'photoshop battle' where competitors must transform the image of the Colonel Sanders rug "into a humorous, outlandish or romantic digital masterpiece" - I bet they get some interesting entries! The Valentine's Day prize package also sounds like a dream, it includes two fried chicken onesies, a gift card for a two for a year, and a yearly subscription to an online streaming service - completing the perfect KFC Valentine's night in!
Roses are red, violets are blue, here's some flowers with fried chicken in them too...? The one day a year you are encouraged to show your favourite person just how much they mean to you and according to KFC, nothing says true love quite like a bouquet of chicken! Another way KFC are celebrating the occasion is by revealing the "Bouquet de Poulet", featuring luxurious red roses, intertwined with Hot Wings, Popcorn Chicken and tender Fillets - all in one infamous KFC bucket! Sadly, these aren't available in stores but it's encouraged to buy your loved one some roses and why not add some KFC chicken... right?
Aunt Bessies Heart-Shaped Yorkshire Puddings
This is a great idea if you ask me, the way to a girl's heart is most definitely though a Sunday dinner and why not add some extra looove with a heart-shaped Yorkshire! Aunt Bessies have decided to make a limited edition version of their classic treat for Valentine's Day, so you can jazz up your romantic roast this Thursday. It's the same 1995 recipe as the original and they'll be available until March - spreading the love throughout the full month of February! These come in a pack of 6 and cost just £1.50, which is a steal when you think of the usual prices of Valentine's products.
Poundland's Engagement Rings
As you've probably heard by now, Poundland have started selling engagement rings just in time for Valentine's Day - it's a much cleaner bit of promotion than the brands previous campaign with the naughty elf! They announced their new 'bling' engagement rings a few weeks ago, which are all silver (stainless steel) and feature a gemstone of some kind. These Poundland rings have of-course had the entire country talking with even Piers Morgan "proposing" to Susanna Reid live on Good Morning Britain last week.All at just £1, Poundland have said that this is the perfect 'placeholder' and that these Valentine's Day gifts give people the perfect opportunity to propose 'before the need to invest in the real rock', which if you ask me is a really sweet idea!
Morrisons' Rainbow LGBTQ+ Roses
If you're looking for a valentine's gift that's a little different to the traditional, Morrisons have launched rainbow roses, and they're seriously pretty! As part of the Morrisons' The Best range, the Rainbow Roses were released on February 11th and they come in partnership with LGBTQ+ youth homeless charity The Albert Kennedy Trust. Each limited edition rose costs £4, with 50p from each sales being donated to the charity, Morrisons really have hit two birds with one stone with this amazing charitable collaboration.
Name a cockroach after your Ex - Hemsley Conservation Centre
Okay, this is an amazing idea and a bit of a different way to go about a Valentine's Day promotion! I'd never heard of Hemsley Conservation Centre until this week and I can guarantee thousands of people around the country will be the same. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the centre launched a campaign where you can name one of the cockroaches after an ex-partner - ideal for those still feeling bitter after a break up! People have the opportunity to pick and name a cockroach after whoever they consider appropriate - and it costs just £1.50 for the pleasure of doing so!The name will be displayed at the exhibit, so you can always pop in to visit the insect version of your ex-partner to say hi and see how they're doing. Also, if you take part, you'll be sent a gift certificate as a keepsake - but the name won't feature on it as the centre doesn't want to 'fuel fires'. But you can of-course add their name to the comments section as a reminder of why breaking up was really a good thing!
Royal Mail Romantic Post Boxes
Royal Mail have been celebrating Valentine's Day by decorating some post-boxes around the country with romantic quotes from famous English authors. Especially in an age of social media and online messaging, Royal Mail are doing something different and are hoping to rekindle the joy for the handwritten love letter this Valentine's Day. Romantic quotes from works by John Keats, Thomas Hardy, Robert Burns and many more will be decorated on red postboxes in locations across the country including London, Lichfield and Dorset.
Heinz Ketchup Caviar
If you've ever been to a really fancy restaurant and wanted to ask the waiter for ketchup but felt the shame, Heinz have the answer for you this Valentine's Day! They've launched the first ever Ketchup Caviar, conveniently debuting just before Valentine's Day, it's exactly what it sounds like: ketchup, shaped like caviar. No fish eggs included, just a way to make your burger look extra pretty this Valentine's. Unfortunately, there's only 150 pots available, as they're also celebrating the brand being 150 years old!
Those were my highlights of the Valentine's Day campaigns so far... What's the most memorable Valentine's day campaign you can think of? I'm definitely looking forward to see what Greggs get up to this year... Let me know below!
Beth x
No comments