Written by Ah, Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year where most brands pull out all stops to jump on the love train to cash in on the romance.
Now that all the declarations of love and home cooked meals have come and gone, let’s take a look at the five best Valentine’s Day campaigns that surfaced in 2022 that actually managed to warm the cockles of our hearts.
1. Ben Kheng x Coffee Meets Bagel
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You’re probably asking yourself “is it just me, or is Ben dressed like Steve Jobs?” The answer to that question is: yes, he most definitely is.
Are our requirements for the perfect partner a little too much? This video as part of Coffee Meets Bagel’s #DitchTheList campaign takes a humorous jab at over-the-top expectations people have when it comes to “the one”. Someone who is able to serenade them, cook, have a rockin’ bod, and go to extreme lengths to celebrate special occasions – oh, and throw in a five-figure salary while you’re at it too.
This little skit uploaded on Benjamin Kheng’s Instagram page on V-Day is a collaboration so ingenious, we almost didn’t register it as an ad until we read the caption.
2. TheSmartLocal x Singapore Tourism Board
What’s the likelihood of people clicking into a paid valentine’s day video that’s a whopping 14 minutes long? Very low. But when you have three personable male talents fronting the video for a “bromantic” Valentine’s day date, that’s sure to get people curious.
This atypical Valentine’s day video, “Singaporeans Try: Office Bros Celebrate Valentine’s Day Together!” sees a bunch of dudes from TheSmartLocal out and about around town to partake in a series of classic V-day things such as a preserved flower workshop, all in the name of promoting Singapore Tourism Board’s Made With Passion campaign.
3. TBWA x Sticky Singapore
Image adapted from: @stickysingapore
All love deserves to be celebrated on a day as grand as Valentine’s Day, and TWBA and Sticky Singapore are tugging on the heartstrings of our LGBTQ+ community with a limited-edition V-Day candy launch to remind us all that with a very apt tagline: All love is sweet.
Image credit: @tbwasg
The range comprised nine specially designed candy boxes taking on the colours of the different flags of the LGBTQ+ community, all with a special meaning behind them. In addition, each candy box also comes with a pamphlet that educates the uninitiated of the different communities.
4. foodpanda x Tinder
Image adapted from: @foodpandasg
Welcome to the year 2022, where our singles – both young and old – use dating apps as much as they do their IG and TikTok accounts. Does swiping ever get boring? Probably not – especially when you stand the chance to find not only love but a food delivery discount code if you spot and swipe right on foodpanda’s cute little mascot Pau-Pau on Tinder.
Clever collaboration, that’s for sure. It’s definitely giving the attached ones some FOMO vibes and making us wanna jump on the app again just to find Pau-Pau.
5. Cozyplacesg
@cozyplacesg #sgdateideas #CNY2022 #valentinesday #sgcouples #dateideassg #exploresg #dateideasg #sgcouple #singaporediscovers #discoversg #sgexplore #sgdateidea ♬ Celebrate the Good Times – Mason
We’re all familiar with ads that are polished, but sometimes we come across an ad so rough around the edges and spoken in our language that we just have to stan. Hot on the heels of the trend of TikTokers renting themselves out for Chinese New Year, comes Cozyplacesg’s ad personifying its business and essentially advertising itself for rent in the most straightforward way possible: with a couple of captions and emojis.
Quality? Questionable, but it sure did elicit a slew of positive responses from viewers.
BONUS: BBDO’s recruitment ad on Instagram
Image credit: @bbdosingapore
Ain’t your usual ad, but this job ad definitely got us smirking a little with the wordplay. Nice one, BBDO.
Best 2022 Valentine’s Day campaigns
And there you have it, a roundup of the five most heartwarming, cringe-less ads that crossed our feeds this Valentine’s Day. These only prove that you don’t have to overdo love to get people to love your content. Brands, take note!
Cover image adapted from: @foodpandasg, @benjaminkheng, @tbwasg
