I’m a hopeless romantic, which is why I’ve always been a fan of Valentine’s day, despite not ever having a Valentine until fairly recently. From a dozen roses, to soppy cards, and giant teddies, no gesture is too cringe or clichéd as far as I’m concerned.  However, after watching some of the PR campaigns roll in this 14th of Feb, I’ve been left with a bit of the ick.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some eye-catching executions that hit the mark from brands you’d expect to be playing in the pool of love this February. Date night’s favourite dress brand Reformation revealed their new boyfriend: Pete Davidson. A bold move from a brand that doesn’t sell men’s clothes but knows who the secret celeb crush of their audience is and, more importantly, that he would capture their hearts.

And then there was Feeld, the dating app who collaborated with luxury jeweller Milko Boyarov to create a ring design that co-opts the traditional symbol of monogomy and re-imagines it for a modern relationships. Released at an exclusive launch dinner that spoke to the experimental and open audience of Feeld, the event featured an alternative commitment ceremony for those in attendance and was shared widely across socials.

I also didn’t hate Ikea x Breeze’s attempt to weasel in on the romance with its offer of in-store dates of meatballs in bed (no thanks) for prospective partners who match on their bedroom furniture preferences. Not amazingly executed, but amusing, not least because so many couples cite the furniture superstore as a cause for communication breakdown in their romantic relationship.

Anyways, like I said, these campaigns did not grate me the wrong way. They made sense. They were from brands who had permission to play in the space. If I were to go on a hypothetical ‘date’ with one of these campaigns, I might stick around past the second drink. However, when we turn our attentions to some other campaigns that came to light this valentine’s, there are a fair few I would certainly be swiping left to.

I’m just going to come right out and say it, everyone’s favourite gravy/stockpot brand, you ok hun? From a collaboration with Tinder to encourage singletons to advertise their cooking skills on profile, to a partnership with Ann Summers (yes you read that correctly) for a limited-edition stock pot, the brand went all in on V-day campaigns. There are many places that they can play: Easter, Christmas, every Sunday for example, but call a spade a spade, they’re just not sexy enough to come on a date this Valentine’s (sorry not sorry). And that’s not to say I don’t believe in an unexpected partnership, but this one just felt a bit desperate, not exactly the mood you want to cultivate during the season of love.

Another imposter encroaching on the Cupid’s territory, was the was everyone’s favourite creamy Easter chocolate. The treat revealed an album of ‘gooey’ love songs written by mega fans to the crème egg and released on an album containing the chocolate’s signature goo. While creative and well-executed, this is about as unnatural as an advent calendar popping up on father’s day (don’t get any ideas pr folk!) I’m already tired of seeing pumpkins as soon as the kids are back in school, I really don’t need to look at an Easter egg until after Valentine’s Day. Plus, this is one of those ideas that really lived and died on industry titles, but perhaps that’s a blog post for another day…

That’s all to say, sometimes, is it not better to create your own moment to shine instead of squeezing your way in to places and spaces that don’t quite fit? With so many brands vying for space this Valentine’s Day, especially with the return of Bridget Jones, we could all perhaps learn the lesson that not every brand has to play a part in every cultural moment.

So, no hard feelings, I just didn’t ~vibe~ with you this time, but let’s stay friends yeah?