VALENTINE’S DAY: WHEN FEELINGS GET A PRICE TAG

Okay, so I LOVE love, but it must be said: Valentine’s Day is hands-down the biggest branding success of all time.

Love is limitless, available 365 days a year, free to give and receive. And yet somehow, we’ve managed to brand it into one single day—complete with rules, expectations, and a multibillion-dollar industry behind it. If that’s not proof that you can sell anything with the right positioning, I don’t know what is.

Think about it: love is an experience, an emotion, something deeply personal and ongoing. But we’ve been conditioned to express it in a very specific way—with chocolates, roses, jewelry, and candlelit prix fixe dinners. Not just any gifts, either. It has to be roses (the more, the better). It has to be chocolates (preferably heart-shaped). It has to be a reservation at a nice restaurant (and if you’re late, good luck).

This is branding at its finest. The idea that love needs to be proven with tangible things? That’s a narrative we’ve all bought into—because it’s been marketed to us our entire lives.

And let’s talk about the real genius behind it: the urgency. Love isn’t rare, but Valentine’s Day makes it feel like it is. You have one shot a year to get it right, or you risk looking unromantic, unthoughtful, or—worst of all—alone. And because time-sensitive things sell, businesses lean in hard. Limited edition Valentine’s drops. Special one-day-only menus. A “last chance” to show someone you care (as if the other 364 days of the year don’t count).

Even opting out has been branded. Hate Valentine’s Day? No problem. There’s an entire market for Anti-Valentine’s parties, self-love spa packages, “treat yourself” campaigns, and snarky greeting cards. The choice isn’t whether you engage—it’s how. Either way, you’re still part of the machine.

The best part? This entire industry isn’t just for one audience. It’s been positioned to work for everyone. Couples? Obligated to participate. Singles? Galentine’s is waiting for you. Friends? There’s a way to celebrate. Even kids? The classroom valentines we all exchanged in elementary school made sure the expectation to give and receive love in a tangible form started early (and I am totally a part of this -- I definitely was up late last night putting Valentines together for my son's class).

That’s the real power of branding—when something is so ingrained in culture that participating feels natural, and not participating still counts as engagement.

And if an infinite, free, universal thing like love can be turned into a high-stakes, high-revenue, high-pressure event, then trust me—anything can be sold with the right positioning, the right audience, and the right branding.

What’s another example of something we’ve all bought into without even thinking about it? Drop it in the comments.