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Walk into February, and the marketplace splits in two.
On one side are brands drenched in red and pink, limited-edition heart-shaped packs, candlelight-dinner giveaways, proposal contests, and curated ‘couple goals’ edits. On the other hand, there are campaigns that roll their eyes at romance — ‘Hotter than my ex’, ‘Date yourself’, ‘Love is overrated’, or simply, ‘Do Nothing’.
Valentine’s Day, once a fairly linear commercial opportunity built around romantic gifting, has fractured into two parallel narratives — celebration and rejection. Increasingly, brands are choosing sides. And that split says less about the day itself and more about a rapidly evolving consumer mindset. Social platforms have amplified diverse expressions of love, and data show that purchase intent isn’t limited to traditional romantic rituals anymore; it has begun to mirror the emotional diversity of consumers.
Yet, for all the cultural reinterpretation, one thing hasn’t changed: Valentine’s Day remains commercially formidable.
A new study by Hansa Research Group indicates that consumer participation continues to be strong. More than seven in ten Indians plan to spend on Valentine’s Day this year, with overall potential participation nearing 90% when including those who may spend. Brand influence is equally significant — over 85% of consumers say campaigns impact their purchase decisions at least sometimes, and a majority report noticing multiple Valentine’s promotions in the lead-up to the day.
Spending is steady rather than extravagant, with most consumers budgeting between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000. Flowers, dining, and chocolates remain dominant categories, but fashion, experiences, beauty, and even digital gifts are gaining traction.
More telling than spending, however, is perception. While romance remains central for many, nearly half of consumers associate Valentine’s with celebrating all relationships, and a sizable cohort links it to self-love and self-care. The occasion is widely seen as relevant, and interest has increased for the majority compared to a few years ago.
The cultural shift fueling this shift
“One thing to keep in mind is that over time, occasions and festivals naturally open up to interpretation,” explains Anand Murthy, Founder & CSO at Fundamental. “They become more inclusive and take on different meanings. Valentine’s Day is no exception.”
Murthy identifies several clear consumer shifts driving this expansion. “A section of younger consumers views such occasions as marketing gimmicks. They expect brands to leverage the day to emotionally nudge them into buying something. For them, it feels overly consumerist. There’s also the argument: why should love be restricted to one day?”
That scepticism, however, has not reduced participation; it has diversified it.
Simultaneously, other consumers are broadening what Valentine’s represents. The meaning has shifted from purely romantic love to more expansive interpretations — platonic bonds, friendships, parents, self-love, even post-breakup independence.
“This isn’t just about Gen Z — people across age groups hold these views,” Murthy notes. “Some want to celebrate with friends or family. Some are single and uninterested. And some still take the day very seriously — planning trips, proposals, big gestures.”
Kruthika Ravindran, Director at TheSmallBigIdea, sees this shift as a move away from idealised romance towards emotional realism.
“Valentine’s Day is no longer just about celebrating love or rejecting it,” she says. “It’s become a mix of many different emotional realities. We’ve moved away from the era of perfect, fairytale romance towards something more honest and self-aware. People don’t want to be told how they should feel; they want their real relationships reflected — whether that’s romantic, platonic, complicated, or joyfully solo.”
For brands, she adds, this means moving beyond a single emotional tone. Love today shows up in many forms — and campaigns must reflect that multiplicity.
The 2026 brand playbook mirrors exactly this fragmentation.
Gifting platform IGP leaned fully into romance with ‘In My Lover Era’, tapping into the language of Gen Z self-expression while reinforcing traditional romantic gestures through tech-led storytelling and partnerships. At the same time, Lotte India’s Pepero reframed the occasion as ‘Palentine’s Day’, celebrating friendships and everyday intimacy among friends, aligning with consumers who view February 14 as a broader celebration of relationships.
PUMA India has partnered with Bumble and HYROX to turn Valentine’s Day into a fitness-led dating event. The collaboration will take place on February 14 at Phoenix Marketcity, Bengaluru, where singles aged 21–35 will participate in a beginner-friendly HYROX workout, followed by a social mixer, positioning shared interests and lifestyle compatibility at the centre of modern romance.
Murthy argues that the coexistence of these narratives signals scale. “These segments are all becoming sizable. Otherwise, brands wouldn’t choose either a pro- or anti-Valentine’s stance. Ultimately, brands look at commercial viability.”
Saheb Singh, Director of Strategy at AGENCY09, frames the phenomenon as reflective of a more self-aware consumer culture. Valentine’s Day now mirrors a generation “more conscious of performative romance and less willing to buy into a single, idealised version of love.”
That awareness explains why anti-Valentine’s narratives are also evolving. Sunfeast Fantastik!’s #DumpYourExCess 2.0 campaign encouraged Gen Z to “block the ex and swipe right on themselves,” leaning into self-love rather than cynicism.
Flipkart’s ‘Choreplay Store’ suggested that in modern relationships, sharing household responsibilities is a meaningful gesture of care — reframing romance through behavioural insight rather than cliché.
“The split reflects consumers wanting to choose how they emotionally participate,” Singh observes. “Brands aren’t creating this divide — they’re responding to it.”
Ravindran cautions that this response must be rooted in brand honesty. Choosing between “full Valentine’s” and “anti-Valentine’s,” she says, shouldn’t be about trend-chasing. “Some categories, like luxury, beauty, or gifting, naturally feel at home in romantic storytelling, while younger, culture-led spaces such as OTT platforms, beverages, or fintech can play with humour and subversion more credibly. The key is knowing who you are and who you’re speaking to.”
Perhaps the clearest proof of this lies within Cadbury’s own portfolio. Dairy Milk Silk continues to occupy the romantic high ground with “Say It With Silk,” while Five Star stays irreverent under its “Do Nothing” philosophy. Both approaches work — not because Valentine’s demands it, but because the brands’ identities do.
In that sense, the cultural shift is not about romance versus rebellion. It is about emotional plurality. Valentine’s Day is no longer a monolith — it is a reflection of how consumers today define connection on their own terms.
The storytelling pitfalls
Despite the creative explosion around Valentine's Day marketing, brands frequently stumble into predictable traps.
"The biggest pitfall is defaulting to clichés without cultural insight," Singh warns. "Romance becomes hollow when it ignores modern relationships and emotional diversity. Anti-Valentine's often fails when sarcasm replaces substance. Brands underestimate how emotionally literate consumers have become."
Ravindran identifies specific failures; "The most common pitfall with Valentine's campaigns is falling back on familiar clichés: picture-perfect love stories that don't feel real, anti-Valentine's messaging that comes across as bitter, outdated stereotypes, or the usual pink-and-red visuals that lack a solid thought."
The solution, according to Ravindran, lies in honesty. "When brands move away from grand, performative romance and focus on connections, as people actually experience it, the storytelling feels more human. And when it feels real, it connects far deeper than any gimmick ever could."
Murthy adds that the failure often stems from inauthenticity. "If a brand known for mischief suddenly puts out overly sentimental, stereotypical romantic imagery, it may feel forced. But another brand might do that authentically." He cautions that younger audiences, especially, are "quick to call that out" when campaigns feel like "stuntmanship for its own sake."
Looking beyond the binary
As brands plan for future Valentine's Days, the conversation is shifting from binary choices to more fluid, inclusive narratives.
"The future lies in expanding the definition of love rather than choosing sides," Singh predicts. “Consumers are more open to fluid narratives that include self-love, friendships, and chosen families. Brands will need to unlearn binary thinking around romance and rebellion. Emotional inclusivity will replace emotional extremism. Valentine's will become a lens, not a label."
Murthy advocates for a mind-mapping approach. "Instead of seeing it as a binary—pro or anti—brands can mind-map the idea. If you start with 'romance,' that can include heterosexual, homosexual, and queer relationships. If you broaden it to 'love,' it opens up friendships, parents, even amicable exes. If you stretch it further, it could include self-care or self-celebration."
He emphasises that this multiplicity will only increase over time. "All of these possibilities, and more, are open. The canvas is open. The real test is fit."
The key insight is consistent with the idea that authenticity trumps alignment with tradition. "First, don't get obsessed with the day. And don't be gimmicky. Authenticity is the starting point," Murthy advises.
Singh's perspective on better storytelling reinforces this, "Better storytelling starts with lived truths rather than borrowed tropes."
In many ways, Valentine’s Day has become a cultural Rorschach test. What was once a neatly packaged romantic occasion is now an open canvas, stretched across couples, friends, singles, families, and individuals choosing to celebrate themselves. For brands, then, the question is no longer whether to Valentine or not. It is whether they understand which version of love their audience sees when they walk into February, and whether they can reflect it without resorting to cliché or contrarianism for effect.