B&T’s Obligatory Valentine's Day Campaign Failures!

No one admits to liking it or even participating in it, but that’s not stopping Aussies forking out an estimated $791.4 million on crappy gifts and overprices flowers for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

One company with arguably too much time on its hands is IBISWorld who has crunched the numbers and estimated that, on average, Aussies will spend $86 on their respective partners (or mistresses) tomorrow.

IBISWorld said restaurants and jewellery shops will be the big winners, landing $42.4 million and $40.5 million in business respectively. However, neither beat flowers on the 14^th, with florists the country over expected to rake in a whopping $93.3 million. Chocolates are still a winner and worth $90.9 million with IBISWorld reporting organic or fair trade confectionary in high-demand.

And everyone has a Valentine’s Day horror story. You’re at the same restaurant as your parents, bumping into your ex with their new other half or being rejected in grade three. It still hurts. It can still hurt brands too if their loved-up campaign falls foul of Cupid. Take for example, the, uh, ultra-romantic activity of naming a cockroach after an ex. In 2013, the Bronx Zoo enabled spurned lovers to spend $10 and name one of its 58,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches after the person who dumped you.

The theme of rings clearly swirls around the minds of those behind the ads, with Hooters in the States saying if you don’t want to give her a ring, give her wings instead. Fool proof. And not a quick way to get yourself slapped at all.

And the way to between a woman’s legs are diamonds, believes jewellery designer Natan.

Clothing brand General Pants Co. teamed up with Tinder last year to ask users to ‘Get in my pants’. Some people questioned the image used as it was rather risqué, particularly considering consumers of the clothing brand could be under 18.