Valentine's Day: Don't Start with A Sonnet If You Never Bring Home Flowers

Consumers are fickle, but great brands are not.

The 14th-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer often gets credit for popularizing Valentine's Day as a romantic holiday. And no disrespect to that legend, but as a consumer—an American consumer at that—I usually make my Valentine's Day spending decisions based on my mood… and, accordingly, so does my dear husband of over 30 years. Which is to say, most years, I couldn't care less.

A Love Story (And Marketing)

Years ago, I proclaimed to my husband that I couldn't care less about the Hallmark Holiday. Equally unimpressed by $6 greeting cards, he shared the sentiment. Despite this, we still dabbled—weekend trips, little gifts, dinner reservations, special homemade meals. One year, I even bought him a guitar and lessons. Apparently, he didn’t remember telling me after a concert that he wished he had learned to play. There’s been a lot of swings and misses. But without fail, every year, he gives me flowers. And I love it.

After three decades together, flowers remain a staple. My husband knows that I don’t care about Valentine’s Day… until sometimes I do.

And here’s the thing: even I don’t know which years I’ll care and which years I won’t. There’s no predictable pattern he can follow, no clear signal for when I’ll want to acknowledge the day and when I won’t.

American consumers are fickle. And while my relationship isn't built on whimsical holiday expectations, this is where the marketing lesson comes in.

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Consumers Are Fickle. Your Business Can’t Be.

Customers, like me on Valentine's Day, really don’t know what they want. But businesses can’t afford to be inconsistent.

Companies can’t rely on big, splashy, once-a-year efforts if your everyday experience isn’t solid. Marketing isn’t just a campaign or a promotion—it’s every touchpoint your customer has with your business every day.

The key is to think about these touch points collectively—like an ecosystem—so that you’re not just reacting to the whims of consumers but proactively delivering a consistent, reliable experience, digitally and inside four-walls. Loyalty isn’t built on promotions—it’s built on trust. Big research has this well-covered. A big branding moment won’t carry your business if the foundational experience is inconsistent. The best brands—Nike, Apple, Delta—win because their customers know what to expect every single time.

There’s poetry in that. Because while very few companies have the resources (or capacity) to deliver a sonnet, we all can show up with flowers.

So, before you launch your next big marketing initiative, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Are we showing up consistently, or only on ‘special occasions’?

2. Do we have a strong foundation that nurtures our customers year-round?

3. Are we focused on what truly matters to our audience, or just chasing trends?
   

This Valentine’s Day, my husband walked in at lunchtime with fresh flowers—a sweet gesture in the middle of our work-from-home day. Later, over candles and Thai takeout, I (half) jokingly told him I wrote him a blog… Chaucer would be proud.

Does your marketing ecosystem need some love? A well-integrated strategy isn’t about big, one-time efforts—it’s about showing up consistently. If you’re unsure whether your business is delivering a strong, reliable experience, let’s find out together.

Book a discovery call to assess where you stand, or schedule an Empower Hour to start refining your approach.

Happy Valentine's Day! 💐