Valentine’s ads pivot from grand romance to ‘small moments’, speed and participation

New Delhi: This Valentine’s season, brands are moving away from the predictable “big gesture” template and leaning into a clearer marketing pattern: everyday love, low-friction gifting and participation at scale. 

The films and activations running this week use familiar Valentine’s cues, but the strategy is sharper and more full-funnel. Humour and plot twists are doing the top-of-funnel heavy lifting, while quick commerce and storefront mechanics are being used as the conversion layer.

Watch the brands' Valentine’s Day campaigns below:

Cadbury 5 Star flips its Valentine’s script with 1 million sponsored dates

Cadbury 5 Star has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign that reworks its long-running anti-Valentine’s stance by announcing plans to sponsor one million dates before returning to its “Do Nothing” positioning through a twist-led narrative. The teaser presents the initiative as a research-backed effort to recreate early Valentine’s celebrations, supported by a web platform for registrations. The reveal film reframes the exercise as a playful bluff, reinforcing the brand’s established messaging. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the campaign continues the brand’s tradition of using Valentine’s Day as a recurring cultural moment for engagement and humour.

Flipkart reframes romance around everyday effort this Valentine’s week

Flipkart has introduced the Choreplay Store for Valentine’s week, presenting shared household effort as a marker of modern romance. Conceptualised by Talented and directed by Tanvi Gandhi, the initiative draws on behavioural insights around domestic labour and relationship dynamics. The storefront features everyday home-care products positioned as gestures of shared responsibility. Creatives from Talented said the idea reflects how respect and equal effort shape relationships, while Gandhi described routine chores as gestures partners often remember more than traditional gifts.

Cadbury Silk’s latest campaign shows why love is human, not AI-generated

Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk has released the 2026 edition of its Valentine’s platform Say It With Silk, centred on a digital film exploring emotional expression in an AI-influenced world. The film contrasts automated responses with human intent, presenting love as rooted in effort and spontaneity rather than algorithmic prompts. Alongside the film, the brand has introduced refreshed Valentine’s packaging positioned as a tangible expression of affection. The campaign is being rolled out across digital platforms, music collaborations, influencer content, retail and outdoor visibility as part of a wider seasonal push around gifting and relationships.

Myntra M-Now spotlights everyday expressions of love this Valentine’s Day

Myntra has rolled out a Valentine’s Day campaign for its quick-commerce service M-Now, spotlighting modern, everyday expressions of love beyond conventional romance. The campaign features four short films capturing friendships, family intuition, quiet appreciation and simple togetherness, all enabled through instant gifting. Shoppers can access over 10,000 styles across 600 brands via a dedicated Valentine’s storefront, spanning fashion, beauty, accessories, watches, jewellery and gift sets. Designed for both planned and last-minute purchases, M-Now offers deliveries starting from 30 minutes across major Tier 1 cities and select Tier 2 markets, reinforcing Myntra’s focus on speed-led convenience during peak gifting occasions.

Zouk’s Valentine’s Day film frames modern love through an everyday gesture

Zouk has launched its Valentine’s Day campaign titled Make Space for Love, built around a simple yet relatable insight rooted in everyday behaviour. The campaign film follows a college setting where a woman’s habit of placing her bag on the adjacent seat symbolises personal space. As a connection develops, moving the bag becomes a quiet signal of emotional openness. Timed around Valentine’s Day, the film highlights how small actions can mark the beginning of meaningful relationships. Alongside the campaign, Zouk has introduced a Valentine’s gifting range featuring handbags, mini daypacks and curated gift packs. The collection is available on the brand’s website and select quick-commerce platforms, catering to planned and last-minute gifting.

Instamart’s ‘Phools in Love’ film taps Bollywood nostalgia ahead of Valentine’s Day

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Instamart has released Phools in Love, a reactions-led film built around a public installation in Bandra, Mumbai. The installation featured a simple bench flanked by two oversized flowers, inviting passersby to interpret the moment in their own way. The resulting film captures spontaneous reactions from couples, families and individuals across age groups and identities, reflecting how love is often expressed through suggestion rather than overt gestures. Rooted in classic Bollywood nostalgia, the campaign uses real, unfiltered moments to explore modern expressions of love. The film has garnered close to four million views within 12 hours of release, driven largely by organic engagement across social platforms.

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Fevicol Shoefix’s ‘Jodi Salamat Rahe’ Valentine film goes full 90s Bollywood

Pidilite’s Fevicol Shoefix, the DIY adhesive crafted for shoe repair, has launched its new Valentine’s Day campaign, ‘Jodi Salamat Rahe’, bringing a humorous and refreshing twist to the season of love. The film takes a playful, 90s Bollywood‑inspired route, complete with classic melodrama, vibrant nostalgia and a signature dose of Pidilite humour. Adding to the fun, Blinkit makes an unexpected cameo, amplifying the quirky storyline in true contemporary style. The campaign draws a clever parallel between romantic jodis and the much‑loved jodis we often overlook, our shoes. By spotlighting the relatable frustration of a single broken shoe putting the entire pair at risk, Fevicol Shoefix positions itself as the perfect saviour for modern, on‑the‑move consumers. The campaign is crafted by the creative agency Ogilvy.

Hershey’s Kisses campaign riffs on ‘public kiss’ hesitation

The Hershey’s brand has launched its Valentine’s Day campaign, ‘Giving Kisses is hard, but there is Hershey’s Kisses!’, using a culturally rooted insight around hesitation in public displays of affection in India. Built around the line “Giving Kisses can be hard, but there is Hershey’s Kisses,” the campaign positions the chocolate as a playful, socially acceptable way to express love. It is being pushed through a digital film on “love interrupted” moments, contextual location-based outdoor across Mumbai, and partnerships including a Zepto Valentine Prom Party ‘Kisses Booth’ and a social collaboration with Close-up that nudges personalised content creation and gifting.

Parle ropes in Ananya Panday, Lakshya for Hide & Seek Valentine film

Parle Products has unveiled its Valentine’s Day campaign for Parle Platina Hide & Seek Choco Chip Cookies, featuring Ananya Panday and Lakshya. Titled ‘Start Your Story with Hide & Seek’, the film positions the cookie as an icebreaker for young consumers, using playful interactions and the brand’s signature tune to capture early-connection moments. The campaign also includes a limited-edition pack contest, where consumers scan a QR code and upload a dance video to the Hide & Seek track, with the best entry getting a chance to feature on the pack.