Fashion is feeling the love this Valentine’s Day.
As usual, a number of brands rolled out marketing initiatives and campaigns in honor of the holiday. But those that stood out went beyond your standard red-and-pink fare, and instead used Valentine’s to amplify a larger brand marketing or community-building moment.
Whether it was an unexpected campaign star (Pete Davidson for Reformation) or cheeky romantic-themed merch (Eckhaus Latta’s relationship status hoodies), the most engaging marketing moments around the holiday didn’t need to be tied to Valentine’s Day at all.
The brands that created ads and activations that felt like an organic part of their overarching marketing strategy were those that landed most effectively — rather than just having “an activation for the sake of activating” around the holiday, said Zoe Latta, co-founder of fashion brand Eckhaus Latta.
Brand Building Moments
Womenswear brand Reformation, for instance, cast the comedian Pete Davidson as its “official boyfriend” — a campaign that “would make sense for Ref whether it was September or April. Valentine’s Day is just an added narrative layer to this campaign, not the reason it exists, and that’s an important nuance,” Reformation’s chief creative officer, Lauren Caris Cohan, said in an email.
Rather than show expected portrayals of romantic love, the brand used the humourous tone it’s become known for, resulting in a slew of comments proclaiming “the marketing team deserves a raise” on social media.
The campaign depicts Davidson as the ultimate boyfriend who is “here to flatter you” and “the go-to complement to beautiful and talented women everywhere.” In the spot, he patiently waits for his “girlfriend” — who isn’t pictured, as to allow the viewer to imagine she’s the one he’s speaking to — as she tries on clothes in Reformation’s dressing room. Davidson brings this unseen girlfriend a matcha latte, asks her about her dreams and puts her purchase on his credit card. In campaign photos, he wears an “official boyfriend” sweatshirt, which became available for purchase on the brand’s website on Tuesday, along with an “official girlfriend” version and a pair of boxer briefs. The brand even added “boyfriend couch” plaques above the sofas in its stores in a nod to the campaign.
Caris Cohan said the campaign is part of a broader brand-building strategy to drive awareness and make consumers think about Reformation in a fresh way, rather than just a focus on a specific period in time or even a collection. “Because this is a true brand campaign, not a collab or collection launch, we’re really focused on visibility of Reformation versus pushing a particular product or category,” she said. “That said, we did make some fun merch so our customers could join in on the fun.”
Brands are finding ways to incorporate the season of love into their campaigns, even without explicit nods to the holiday: Burberry’s latest spring campaign, while not technically for Valentine’s Day, was released two days before Feb. 14. With the theme “London in love,” it features a rom-com-worthy cast, including Kate Winslet, Jodie Turner-Smith and Richard E. Grant, coupled with a broader focus on the brand’s core styles, such as its signature plaid and trench coats, to drive home the messaging that “it’s always Burberry weather.”
Cause-Focussed
For New York-based label Eckhaus Latta, Valentine’s Day provided a moment for a sponsored activation as well as the opportunity to create affordable merch for customers. Following its New York Fashion Week runway show on Saturday, the brand hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed after-party in partnership with the dating app Tinder at the Russian Tea Room. At the party, guests were given one of three sweatshirts created as part of a capsule collection that read either “available,” “unavailable” or “it’s complicated.” They launched on the brand’s website on Tuesday at the accessible price point of $100, a sizeable discount compared to the brand’s typical products.
The primary goal was to “give back and support” the brand’s community, said Latta; the holiday happened to fall during the same week as the brand’s show. The event included a matchmaking element to drive connection, with surveys guests could fill out with what they were seeking in a relationship and contact details. Comedian Cat Cohen emceed, pulling surveys out of a hat and bringing people on-stage — all of which resulted in three couples getting together.
“There were kids from Pratt there, and there were 60 year olds, and there were PR people. It wasn’t just a necessary who’s who,” said Latta. As part of their joint goal of community support, Tinder also made a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union, an organisation that fights for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, which are central to both brands’ milieus.
Tinder also teamed up with the New York-based designer Willy Chavarria for his first show during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January. The designer made his appearance on the runway wearing a T-shirt that read “how we love is who we are,” created alongside Tinder and Human Rights Campaign, also known for its activism in LGBTQ+ rights. The slogan was then used in wild postings displayed in Paris and New York, and the T-shirt “sold out within 24 hours of launch,” according to Tinder’s global CMO, Melissa Hobley, and then again after it was restocked. It dropped on his brand’s website again today, along with a new red version and baseball caps, in time for Valentine’s Day.
For Reformation, Eckhaus Latta and Willy Chavarria alike, however, merchandise was a supporting character to the main act of connecting with each brand’s community in more holistic ways.
“It always felt, in terms of a fashion brand, a bit like a Hallmark holiday, a little corny, a little heteronormative. So it was really nice introducing it … in this way,” said Latta.
