BEST VALENTINE’S DAY ADS OF ALL TIME

We all love, love. We invest in romantic stories on page, stage and screen, and spend our lives either with or looking for ‘the one’. And as soon as February hits, brands – from fast-food chains to jewellery stores – target our soft spot with Valentine's Day commercials. And although it’s super tricky to get Valentine’s Day advertising right, some do manage to hit Cupid’s bullseye.

Below, we guide you through the best Valentine’s Ads of all time – a best-of-the-bunch list bursting with rings, red hearts, rose petals and romantic music. Prepare to fall hard.

Best Valentine’s Day Ads of All Time

• ‘Valentine’s Day’ – Stella Artois
• ‘Chocolate’s Better with M’ – M&M’s
• ‘You’re Not When You’re Hungry: Valentine’s Day’ – Snickers
• ‘#EscapeTheNonsense’ – Ryanair
• ‘Love is in the air: #cupidrone’– Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk
• ‘Valentine’s Day Inspirations’ – Lenovo
• ‘Go All In’ – Sainsbury’s
• ‘Smooth Valentine’s Day’ – Wilkinson Sword
• ‘St Valentine’s Day’ – Fendi
• ‘Classic vs. Different’ – Moonpig

‘Valentine’s Day’ – Stella Artois

This may be an in-no-particular order list, but we’re kicking things off with our all-time favourite: Stella Artois’ 2020 ad plainly titled ‘Valentine’s Day'.

The animated commercial pairs a silky, brass-led jazz track with a 15-second story of an older couple reminiscing about times spent bonding over the alcoholic beverage. Who knew beer could be so beautiful?

‘Chocolate’s Better with M’ – M&M’s

The late Naya Rivera may be best known for her role in Ryan Murphy’s Glee, but her performance in M&M’s 2013 Super Bowl commercial – created with Valentine’s Day in mind – definitely deserves a special shout out. Her relationship with her confectionery king (the red M&M, called Red) is curiously convincing until it becomes clear that she's simply hungry for a snack.

Oh, and we almost forgot to mention the best part: you get to hear Red cover Meat Loaf’s rock ballad ‘I Would Do Anything For Love’. It really is a must-watch.

‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry: Valentine’s Day’ – Snickers

There are those that are super prepared, and there are those that leave everything to the last minute; on Valentine’s Day 2017, Snickers helped out a select few members of the latter group. To be specific, they provided unorganised city dwellers with blank Valentine’s Day cards (via an inner-city billboard) that they could give to their loved ones.

To add a comedic tone to the commercial, the confectionery company added a humorous narration and some quirky – ok, silly – background music.

‘#EscapeTheNonsense’ – Ryanair

Ever been single on Valentine’s Day and wanted to jet away from all of the lovey-doveyness? Don’t worry, we've all been there – and there’s an advert that proves it.

In 2019, Ryanair released their ‘#EscapeTheNonsense’ commercial a week before the wintertime celebration. The story follows a young single man who literally catches a flight instead of catching feelings. To keep viewers wondering if the man will fall in love by the end of the commercial, the airline opts for a love-infused track led by female vocals.

‘Love is in the air: #cupidrone’ – Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk

In 2015, Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk – and breathe – warmed the hearts of some random Verona-based urbanites by using their Cupid drone to deliver red roses. Naturally, they filmed the entire stunt for the purpose of a Valentine’s Day commercial. The result? An upbeat ad accompanied by a romantic background track that transports viewers to the land of Romeo & Juliet.

‘Valentine’s Day Inspirations’ – Lenovo

Lenovo is no stranger to producing Valentine’s Day commercials, and the one that we’ll forever remember first popped up in 2016. Perhaps you remember it too? It’s the one that advertises the YOGA Tab 3 Pro with a built-in projector and AnyPen with the help of a young couple, a cute illustration and a beautiful string-led composition.

‘Go All In’ – Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s love a celebration – Valentine’s Day included. In 2019, the supermarket chain got audiences excited about the day of love with their ‘Go All In’ commercial.

The black and white ad entertains viewers by running through various relatable situations where one might rush around to make things look and feel special for their partner. To ensure those at home felt just as tense as the characters on screen, Sainsbury's employed a very lively Latin background track.

‘Smooth Valentine’s Day’ – Wilkinson Sword

Wilkinson Sword might not be the first brand you think of when it comes to Valentine’s but the British razor brand managed to establish a genuine connection back in 2013 with their ‘Smooth Valentine’s Day’ commercial.

The hearty ad is composed of various clips of members of the public approaching a seemingly hairy billboard secretly populated by stems of roses. As a warm and uplifting indie track plays, viewers watch as said individuals are invited to take a rose from the display to celebrate Valentine’s Day. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you pull off uerrilla marketing.

‘St Valentine’s Day’ – Fendi

Fendi accomplish a lot with their 15-second Valentine’s Day 2018 ad: they showcase various handbags, invite viewers to their website and successfully associate their luxury goods with the world of music (particularly, music of the indie-pop genre). Impressive, then, that the commercial doesn’t feel overstuffed!

‘Classic vs. Different’ – Moonpig

You can always rely on Moonpig to pull through when it comes to celebrations – Valentine’s Day included.

In 2018, the London-based business aired a Valentine's Day ad on the first day of February that focused on a loveable character called Charlie. Whilst Charlie searches Moonpig for Valentine’s flowers to the beat of happy music, he finds himself at a bit of a crossroads: does he a) keep it classic with red roses or b) switch things up with a bunch of rainbow lilies? Find out what he decides on by watching the fun-loving commercial.

Explore The Edit

Enjoy working your way through all of those Valentine advertisements? Ready to watch more? We’ve got all of the ad content you could possibly want over at The Edit. There’s The Best Hip Hop Ads, The 20 Best McDonald’s Ads of All Time, Coca-Cola Ads: The Cocacolonistation and much, much more.

And if you’re a little tired of commercials and ready to read about something different, we invite you to explore our Expertise and News articles.

Tired of reading and watching content altogether? We hear you. Perhaps you’re best off easing your mind by sampling a few of our 340+ laid back tracks. Our favourite? It’s got to be James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Revival’.