• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 26, 2024

Think love is only true in fairy tales? And for someone else, but not for you? Teleflora hopes that “Believe in Love,” a Valentine’s Day video campaign, can change people’s minds.

The brand, owned by the Wonderful Company, is using the new real-person effort to promote this year’s line of Valentine’s Day bouquets. The approach is based not just on lovers but on the lonely. The company cites research that the number of people without a steady partner has risen 50% since 1986.

So, the ads use five real-life couples, all former love skeptics. Some feared another heartbreak or abandonment. Others thought love was only in the movies or for anyone but them. “In terms of fairy tales,” says one woman, “I kissed a lot of frogs.”

Each couple is interviewed, ending with one partner surprising the other with a love letter and a fresh bouquet.

“Love can be discouraging, confusing, and simply hard to believe in, but the right partner can change your perspective in all the best ways,” says Danielle Mason, vice president of marketing, in the company’s announcement. “In a world filled with uncertainty, we wanted to reignite hope and optimism this Valentine’s Day.”

The Wonderful Agency, Wonderful’s in-house shop, created the ad, which is running on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as well as connected TV, digital, and mobile.

For companies like Teleflora, which taps 10,000 member florists in the U.S., the Bouqs Co., UrbanStems and FTD, finding ways to be top-of-mind in the coming weeks is critical: Valentine’s Day is typically the busiest floral occasion of the year, even more than Mother’s Day or winter holidays.

The National Retail Federation has yet to release this year’s forecast, but in last year’s survey, 37% of those celebrating the holiday planned to buy flowers. Those intentions eclipsed an evening out, which 32% expected to enjoy, and jewelry, mentioned by just 21%.