• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, February 8, 2022

Does Valentine’s Day marketing push Americans to overspend?

Consider that the National Retail Federation reports that Americans plan to spend $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts this year, or an average of $175.41 per gift-giver.

Also consider that the Movember men’s health organization reminds us of “the unequal pressures that advertising companies put on men to get big and many times unrealistic gifts for their partner without reciprocal gifts in return.”

With those two thoughts in mind, we’d like to focus on a different kind of Valentine’s gift-giver: brands throwing rewards at couples who, well, just want to fall in love, stay in love, or perhaps get married.

In December, we wrote about Kahlúa’s “Stir It Up Challenge,” in which the Pernod Ricard coffee liqueur offered a $25,000 reward to a couple who could go Internet-free for 30 nights through Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately, the challenge has been paused “due to a personal matter,” Marketing Daily has learned from a Kahlúa spokesperson. The unidentified couple, however, had already received gifts totaling $3,350 for winning the initial phase of the contest, in which they submitted a video sharing such info as how they met, their nightly routines, favorite hobbies and passions.

We’ll wish better results to Boston Beer Company’s Truly Hard Seltzer and Envy Apples, both of which have now launched their own couples-oriented Valentine’s Day contests, each dangling a $50,000 wedding as grand prize.

Armed with a Harris Poll showing that 70% of Americans would be willing to spend Valentine’s Day on a first date, Truly’s promotion will begin by paying for 100 such dates -- based on entries “proving” as much, “whether it's a creative pick up line via DM, a pre-first date selfie, or the happy couple cheers-ing mid-date.” The vast majority of winners will receive $100 cash prizes, with the top five winners getting $1,000, said to be good for a year’s worth of Truly.

Then, if any of the winning couples get engaged to be married by next Valentine’s Day, Truly will pay for their wedding at a cost of up to $50,000, including a bar fully stocked with the brand’s products.

In the Envy Apples “Love at First Bite” contest, participants submit a video sharing why they deserve an “Envy-able” wedding day -- and showing them using only their mouths to carve a heart shape into an apple. Here’s an example.

The winner gets $50,000 to spend on their wedding, a runner-up gets $2,500 to spend on a wedding gown or outfit, and the third-place winner gets 100 tickets to the new Jennifer Lopez/Owen Wilson romcom, “Marry Me,” opening in theaters Friday and on Peacock Valentine’s Day.

Envy has enlisted celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss to “host” its contest, but another brand -- Diageo’s limited-edition CÎROC Pomegranate vodka -- has a whole “Love Squad” behind its Valentine’s Day contest. The group consists of the aptly named comedian Jasmine Luv, plus chef Richard Ingraham, stylist Fatima B, event planner Brittney Mendoza and photographer Brandon Almego.

The Love Squad will choose the winning couple of CÎROC’s contest. In return for submitting their love story, the couple will receive a $10,000 romantic experience, with specific activities customized by the Squad.

The event will take place during a two-night trip to an unspecified California waterfront location.