Valentine’s Day campaign took a different turn this time as we saw campaigns that catered to different types of people and not just couples in love. For Valentine’s Day 2025, the brands went all out with humour-packed ads, nostalgia-driven storytelling and even a bold take on love.
And why would they not? Because Valentine’s Day is no longer limited to roses, chocolate and candlelight dinners. Probably that’s the reason why brands got super creative and tapped into modern love, self-love and even the anti-Valentine crowd.
Let’s dive into the most talked-about Valentine’s Day campaigns of the year and break down why they worked.
Table of contents
- Valentine’s Day Campaigns in 2025
- Cadbury 5 Star’s Destroy Valentine’s Day Campaign
- BigBasket’s Harsh Reality of Dating Spin
- Zepto’s Gifts for Every Love Story
- Swiggy Instamart’s Bollywood Throwback
- FNP’s #PyaarAisaKaro Campaign
- Tinder’s Axe Your Ex Campaign
- In Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Valentine’s Day Campaigns in 2025
Valentine’s Day spending is massive—people splurge on everything from chocolates and flowers to jewellery and grand gestures. Most people go out to eat or celebrate at home.
That’s why brands use this opportunity to capitalise on the fact that people are already spending at this time. And brands get easy conversions. That’s why they come up with discounts, partner with influencers and roll out campaigns to boost their sales during seasonal splurge.
Even the brands that have nothing to do with Valentine’s Day roll out campaigns to tap into the sentiments and stay on top of the mind.
Here are some popular campaigns from Valentine’s Day 2025 that grabbed out attention.
Cadbury 5 Star’s Destroy Valentine’s Day Campaign
Cadbury 5 Star has a history of trolling traditions and this year, they took aim at Valentine’s Day. Their campaign had “uncles” doing cringe-worthy romantic gestures everywhere—because, let’s be real, once your elders start following a trend, it automatically loses its cool factor. It was hilarious, totally relatable and gave the anti-Valentine crowd something to rally behind.
Plus, you could register such an Uncle to celebrate Valentine’s day and earn commission while doing nothing which is the brand message.
It was really clever of them to target the anti-Valentine sentiment because you are not going to gift a 5-star to your Valentine — right? You will either prefer a dairy milk silk or some other chocolate that’s more premium. Hence, it was really smart of them to ditch the cliche’s and go for destroy Valentine’s Day theme.
BigBasket’s Harsh Reality of Dating Spin
While most brands painted love as dreamy and magical, BigBasket dropped a truth bomb. Their campaign called out the struggles of modern dating—ghosting, waiting for texts and dealing with major red flags. Simultaneously they indirectly told how green flags are always there for you. And the thing is — the brand’s colour is also green. So they put out their message and catered to people who are not in a stable relationship. It was bold and refreshing.
Zepto’s Gifts for Every Love Story
Zepto played it smart by catering to all kinds of love—not just romantic. Their campaign showed love in different forms—young couples, long-time partners, even friendships. And of course, they plugged their quick delivery service, making last-minute Valentine’s gifting a breeze. It was inclusive, warm and hit the right emotional notes.
Swiggy Instamart’s Bollywood Throwback
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Swiggy Instamart nailed nostalgia by bringing back the cult-classic Bollywood song “Tohfa Tohfa” with Tusshar Kapoor. It showed a full family grooving to this song. In this short video, they showed how gift makes everyone happy.
Seeing Tusshar Kapoor recreate his father Jeetendra’s iconic moves was a total throwback moment that people couldn’t stop talking about. It was a fun blend of retro vibes and modern-day gifting. Plus, it urged people to gift their loved ones too and not just their partner.
FNP’s #PyaarAisaKaro Campaign
Ferns N Petals pulled off a marketing masterstroke with their Pyaar Aisa Karo billboard campaign. The message carried a fun poetic play on the words Phool and fool. The campaign got a huge traction. In just 48 hours 165 brands joined the conversation with their own takes on this messaging.
They also collaborated with influencers to ensure visibility on digital platforms. With influencers, they tapped into different forms of love like self-love, Galentine’s gifting and much more.
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Tinder’s Axe Your Ex Campaign
Tinder’s target audience is someone still looking for love. It’s their pain point. Maybe they haven’t moved on and Valentine’s Day reminds them of their ex. Tinder tapped into this exact pain point with their Axe Your Ex campaign featuring Orry.
In this ad, Orry was seen giving relationship advice. He was shown like a friend who is there to cheer you up during your low phase and motivate you to move on.
And what’s a better way to move on than installing Tinder?
They also did a collab with Blinkit. Take a look yourself
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In Conclusion
Brands went all in this Valentine’s Day, showing that love comes in many forms—romantic, self-love, friendships. The campaigns also sparked humour revealing the fact that Genz and Millenials embrace humour more than love.
The most successful campaigns tapped into real emotions, cultural insights and nostalgia. Whether it was Cadbury 5 Star making fun of Valentine’s Day or Ferns and Petal making cheesy billboards, one thing is clear — authenticity, genuine connection and string messaging win love. If you’re a brand looking to stand out like them, take notes—because this is how you make a campaign unforgettable!
If you want to build a genuine connection with your target audience and turn your business into a big brand — we are here to help. Reach out to us at hello@florafountain.com. Our team at Flora Fountain Digital Marketing Agency have helped several brands build an emotional connection with their audience and increase sales. And we would be happy to do it for you as well.
Let’s write your success story together!
Frequently Asked Questions
Valentine’s is a peak spending season and brands leverage emotional storytelling, discounts and influencer marketing to drive engagement and sales.
Vasim Samadji is a partner at Flora Fountain, where he leads the Business and Marketing Strategy divisions. In a world where everyone is used to sugarcoating, his directness is often considered rude. But that shouldn't be a problem if you like the no-nonsense approach. Because he is a seasoned professional...