Love looks different in Asia now, and so should Valentine’s messaging

The last few decades have seen a fundamental demographic shift across Asia Pacific and China. By 2019, APAC had the highest number of single citizens globally. In China alone, one in five households was classified as single. One in 10 households globally is projected to be both single and Asian by 2040. This trend will continue with a projected 78% growth in single-person households by 2040 in APAC (compared with a 26% projected growth for couples with children). 

The shift in lived realities has led to a cultural change in lifestyles and beliefs. Korean women have embraced the 4B movement (rejecting societal expectations of marriage, motherhood, dating, and sex). Japan increasingly caters to solo lifestyles, with solo dining, bars and even karaoke set-ups now the norm. This intersects with Gen Zs globally shifting towards a single lifestyle, citing freedom, happiness, and self-discovery as core drivers. 

The data is clear—for a variety of reasons, people are increasingly choosing to remain single and build fulfilled, happy lives in configurations outside the traditional family model. It is time for Western brands to catch up with this reality, especially in the context of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day and brands

While Valentine’s Day has roots in an ancient Roman festival, brand marketing played a key role in the modern-day avatar and customs. Key moments include Cadbury’s heart-shaped chocolate box in 1822, Hallmark's mass-produced Valentine’s cards in 1913, and De Beers' ‘A Diamond is Forever’ campaign in 1948. 

Present-day brands continue to leverage the Valentine’s Day momentum, but there is a need to pivot away from traditional romantic communication towards a more inclusive strategy. At best, marketing targeted at couples will see a lower return on investment in the face of changing demographics; at worst, it can have a negative effect by alienating a large swathe of the brand’s audience in Asia. 

How are brands reshaping Valentine’s Day campaigns?

A scan of Valentine’s Day brand communication targeted at singles reveals a few tropes:

Anti Valentine’s Day

Tongue-in-cheek campaigns that denigrate Valentine’s Days (referencing both pressures felt by those in relationships and singles who want to escape). For example, Cadbury 5 Star’s campaign centred around escaping Valentine’s Day. Other campaigns focus on anti-love themes, centred on getting over exes. 

 

While these types of campaigns attract attention and conversation, they fall short of communicating a connect between core brand values and values held by singles. The core assumption remains the idea that singles feel lonely or sad on Valentine’s Day and want to escape this feeling. 

 

Time with friends
 

Leaning into the idea of time with a friend group on Valentine’s Day (think a myriad of ads that promote girls shopping, travelling, eating together on Valentines Day). Some brands take this a step further to poke fun at singles hanging out with couples, like Deliveroo’s Third Wheel ad. 

 

 

While the intent may be to expand the idea of social networks on Valentine’s Day, these kinds of campaigns may still be perceived through the lens of romantic relationships as the default with singles feeling unhappy or lonely in comparison. 

 

Independent power

Some brands target the idea of self-love and doing things by yourself on Valentine’s Day. For example, a bank in India ran a campaign showing a woman opening a single bank account on Valentine’s Day. However, simultaneous ads from the same bank showing couples opening joint accounts on Valentine’s Day muddled this message.

 

The idea of showing singles doing something happily by themselves is powerful, but it can be enhanced by ensuring the brand remains consistent in its messaging. 

 

Building inclusive Valentine’s Day communications

 

Whether brands seek to target singles, couples, or those on the spectrum, building a meaningful Valentine’s Day engagement cannot be done as a one-off exercise. This is an opportunity for brands to reinforce and build on core brand values expressed at other parts of the year—building a meaningful, personalised relationship with consumers. 

 

Potential strategies include building a relationship of love, care, empathy, and being a trusted partner throughout the consumer’s life—not just on Valentine’s Day. REI closing its stores during Black Friday to demonstrate a commitment to exploring the outdoors on a holiday, or Bevel continuing to focus on delivering quality razors for men of colour even post-acquisition by P&G communicates a relationship of care and trust that extends naturally to Valentine’s Day. 

 

Linking back to building an inclusive Valentine’s Day campaign for all in Asia, we recommend the following principles:

 

Avoid Western tropes of singlehood
 

Western media portrays singlehood as a dichotomy—think ‘alone, sad, crying with ice cream’ like Bridget Jones, or an over-the-top portrayal of hyper independence and aloneness. Neither end of the spectrum is likely to connect with Asian singles, who are increasingly happy, well-adjusted, and living fulfilled lives with a variety of social relationships.

 

Build an inclusive ‘for you’ campaign

Valentine’s Day campaigns tend to advertise specific products, services, or freebies that address the relationship status of the audience such as discounts for couples or a self-love narrative for individual pampering treats for singles. In a world where people no longer centre their identity on partnership status, it makes sense for brands to communicate a more generic ‘partnering with you’ campaign without referencing relationship status. 

 

Encompass a broader view of love
 

Love, belonging, and affection are no longer relegated to romantic relationships—people across Asia are building networks of ‘chosen family’ with close friends, extended family members, a broader network of situationships and much more. For brands seeking to maintain communication around love during Valentine’s Day, this is an opportunity to expand the notion of what love is, connecting with a much broader audience base.

 

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