What can Valentine’s Day teach us about approaches to marketing?

Taylor Alden

Taylor Alden

Written by Ella Pitt

Marketing and Advertising aren’t quite synonymous terms that can be used entirely interchangeably, but what are the major differences and what is the purpose for keeping the two separate? The distinction can certainly feel clouded at times and perhaps not all marketing approaches take the importance of having different attitudes into account.

Of course business success is entwined with successful sales and revenue but surely genuinely striving to have positive relationships with the intended target market is also a fundamental pillar to building a brand. Explicit product advertisement isn’t necessarily the approach that will make this happen in the most natural or organic way. We can look at attitudes to commercialised holidays to back this up, Valentine’s Day being a prime example. Whilst red roses and heart shaped chocolates are always going to sell, if you look for it you’ll also find a layer of resentment amongst the public. People don’t want to feel that their most important relationships are being reduced down to something that is maintained with commodities.

I think there’s something to take from this that is applicable to every day of the year and for every business. Cynical marketing and advertising is probably still going to prevail for quite some time yet. That being said surely it is more rewarding to recognise that your target market are not just that but a demographic that have been selected because you think they will appreciate what you are able to offer. At Taylor Alden we feel that storytelling is central to all that we do. Brands have stories and backgrounds and origins that make them unique and engaging but so do everyday people. I’d like to see marketing that is more driven by the recognition that people are multi-faceted, emotional-laden and fascinating and that exploring these avenues and striving to connect with communities is just as worthy of time and consideration as promoting a product.

Photo by James Orr