Many, many holidays are excuses for marketers to go all out, but perhaps one of the most commercialized holidays is Valentine's Day, something readers of the Occupy Valentine's Day blog want no part of.
The Occupy Valentine's Day blog is all about ignoring what companies and brands tell consumers to do on Valentine's Day. Pink? No thanks. Chocolates? Perhaps, but not in a heart-shaped box. As pointed out by the entries on this blog, there are a number of ways to prove your love for someone that doesn't involve sugary sweets, stuffed animals or red roses. The blog encourages readers to submit what they think of the heavily marketed holiday.
As founder Samhita Mukhopadhyay states, "Celebrating love is wonderful and romance can be great too. But we don't need corporations to dictate how we should do it, a mainstream media chastising us for not doing it right or traditional ideas touted over and over by our friends and family."
What's Driving This Trend
- Anti-valentine's Day Movement
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore alternative ways to celebrate love and relationships that challenge traditional commercialized Valentine's Day norms.
- Consumer Empowerment
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Enable consumers to have a voice and actively participate in shaping holidays and celebrations according to their own values and preferences.
- Rebellion Against Marketing Influences
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create spaces and platforms for individuals to reject societal pressures and norms imposed by corporations and media during holidays.
Who This Affects Most
- Retail
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Offer unique, non-traditional Valentine's Day products and experiences that cater to the anti-Valentine's Day sentiment.
- Social Media
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop online communities and platforms that empower individuals to share their thoughts and experiences on non-commercialized approaches to Valentine's Day.
- Event Planning
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Organize alternative Valentine's Day events and activities that promote non-materialistic expressions of love and relationships.
