Valentine celebration is not from any Indonesian’s tradition, but it is often used by brand, marketers, and several other related parties as a moment to communicate their campaigns. On Valentine Day, the theme of affection spreads almost everywhere.
Affection is generally directed to the person who is considered the most valuable, most respected, and most loved. Showing that feeling in various forms and ways is the most common thing for brands to campaign.
Color like red, pink, and shape like heart, flowers, chocolates and dolls are common parts of the decorations for the brand campaigns which participate in celebrating this Valentine’s Day. Well, there is nothing wrong with that.
However, are campaigns with such communication still relevant for this year?
Start from this concern, StratX KG Media conducted a short study using an online survey method an obtained 136 respondents which the majority were women (55,88%) and men (44,12%). Most of them live in Greater Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. We found a variety of interesting insights that have the potential to become the basis for brands in developing communication strategies related to this time.
Let’s Talk About Love
Defining a feeling seems to be a challenge for almost everyone. However, we found various interesting responses from the audiences in this study when asked to answer what affection is.
The majority of them argue that affection is a form of feeling. The most important thing is sincerity. The majority of audiences answered sincerity (18%) as the definition of affection. This can be interpreted that sincere feelings are prioritized to express affection.
Talking about the meaning of love, of course – it won’t be far from how the form of love itself. The majority of audiences stated that paying attention (45%) and willing to listen to complaints (12%) were the easiest forms of affection to do.
Then, another interesting insight that StratX KG Media found was that the majority of audiences agreed that love does not always go to fellow humans. In general, campaigns on Valentine’s Day contain only how to convey affection and love to fellow human beings. However, we found that the majority of audiences stated that love can be given to anything.
They stated that animals or pets (63%) could also be targets for receiving affection. The interesting part, they also agree that the environment (31%) can also receive affection from them. This point is so interesting that the subject of receiving affection is not only human, but can be any form. This insight can be marked by brands as a basis for creating a different communication strategy from the others.
Forms of Celebration on Valentine’s Day
After knowing how the audience think about the meaning of love and who is entitled to receive that love, the next thing that intersects is how they celebrate this day of love.
Instead of giving the target sincerity and attention, the majority of audiences quite often gives gifts to their loved ones.
67% stated that they often give gifts as a form of their affection for their loved ones. This point can be interpreted that the majority of audiences also need a symbol that describes their affection. Giving gifts is their main way of showing this.
The next point is the kind of gifts that they think can describe their affection.
In general, the majority of audiences gave food & drinks, money, and shopping vouchers as a symbol of their affection. The various forms of gifts are common symbols that have occurred far.
The interesting point from the data above is that it turns out that there are some of them who give gold (5%) and also investment (2%) as symbol of love. Although the number is small compared to the others, it is interesting to know more about it. Gold and investment are commodities whose value is predicted to continue to rise. While there will still be volatility, reward in the form of investments have long-term benefits.
Love Yourself: An Appreciation
If the data above shows how the majority of audiences determines their choice of gifts to be given to the person they love, it turns out that before going to other people, they also love themselves first.
The majority of audiences stated that they had appreciated themselves. Usually, this they do after going through important things in their life. As simple as – after working one full month – appreciation will be made after payday. There are various forms of self-appreciation.
The majority of audiences statd that forms of self-appreciation such as buying delicious food and drinks (65,40%), going on vacation (52,90%), buying coveted goods (50,70%). These lines of course have become common and natural things they do as a form of self-appreciation.
However, the interesting thing that can be seen more deeply from the data above is that there are some audiences who state that investing (12,50%) is also a form of appreciation for themselves. This point is very interesting to discuss further, especially for fintech brands, or banks and other related parties.
So, How About Valentine’s Day?
The various data and explanation above have revealed how the audience responds to affection and how to show it. However, what about Valentine’s Day?
It is quite interesting if the answer is that the majority of audiences (73%) in this study do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Only (27%) celebrate this Valentine’s Day.
The way the celebrate Valentine’s Day is also quite common. Starting from going out to eat, giving gifts or chocolates for the partner, and going for hangout. However, there are unique things that can be seen from the data below.
Even the number is less when compared to the other activities, gratitude (2,70%), worship (2,70%), and self-introspection (2,70%) are activities on Valentine’s Day that are not commonly done.
It can be interpreted that the concept of self-love on Valentine’s Day is related. The data above proves that affection is not always with other people or other figures but yourself.
Insight, Insight, Insight
From the explanation above, there are many interesting insights that can be underlined by the brand as a basis for creating a different communication strategy from the others.
- Affection can be expressed to anyone and anything. Animals and their surroundings can be a new variable in brand communication regarding Valentine’s Day.
- Giving gifts is still form of celebration on Valentine’s Day. Gold and investment are attractive alternative prizes for brand communication strategies.
- The concept of self-love or self-appreciation is no less important for the majority of audiences. Investment is an interesting form of self-appreciation for brands to communicate.
- Gratitude, worship, and introspection are things that are done by those who do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. This point reinforces the concept of self-love is fundamental in their lives.
So, What Brands Can Do?
From several interesting insights that have been mentioned above – there are so many things brand can do.
Like communicating affection for anyone and anything. Instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day with a partner, brands can create new communication by showing affection, which can be given pets or even the nature. Not only on Valentine’s Day, brands can communicate this way at other moments.
Brands can insert a message that loving the nature will certainly have a positive impact on human survival. Messages to protect the environment such as not littering, reducing the use of plastic, and reducing the carbon footprint can be packaged with theme of ‘love’ so that there is a new communication that audience can receive.
By doing this, the brand indirectly also shows that it cares about the nature. This will certainly make the brand have a positive value in the eyes of the audience.
Then, another thing that brands can do especially fintech brands, banks, or other related parties – can communicate that a useful gift of affection is a gift whose value does not decrease but even increases.
Gold and its investment tools can be a brand object to communicate this way. At this point, the brand can position itself as a financial literacy mentor who can tell that investment is one way for the audience to have financial security in the future.
Talking about love is certainly not just a matter of a partner. From the insight above, it can be seen that the concept of self-love is something important for the audience. Self-appreciation is something they do when they have gone through important things in their lives.
This self-love can be adopted by brands as main communication in a campaign. Brands can tell how self-love can be done well. Regarding the next insight, there are some audiences who celebrate Valentine’s Day with gratitude, worship, and self-introspection.
This is clearly related to self-love, so it can be interpreted that the audience wants some peace in their life to do this self-love. At this point, the brand can be there for them.
One example of what brand can do for them is to provide travel tickets as well as a hotel and along with some other facilities for only one person who wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the concern of self-love and healing. Of course, this example can be applied in other way according to the image and product service owned by the brand.
One thing that brand can clearly do before choosing which recommendations to do is research or surveys. Brands need to know more deeply how their audience’s persona is so that they can match what they need. Therefore, StratX KG Media is here for that need. Brands can discuss with us to conduct in-depth research related to other insights that brands need.
Apart from all the explanation above, one thing that brands need to remember is the spirit to pay attention and spread the love on any day and at any moment. Valentine’s Day is just one day of the many times to express love for anyone and anything. The hope is that with the brand paying attention to its audience – the audience will also pay more attention to the brand.
