February annual events
Now in February, two long-standing national events arrive almost back-to-back – and both have become fixtures in the marketing calendar.
Valentine’s Day, falling conveniently on Saturday this year, has evolved from a blend of ancient ritual and medieval romance, now wrapped up into the modern celebration of love and affection. Over time, it shifted from private gestures and handwritten notes to an event that now carries expectations of commercial growth and sales opportunities.
Closely following is Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, a far older and more practical tradition rooted in the agricultural and religious calendar. Originally a communal moment to use up rich ingredients before the restraint of Lent, it has endured because of its simplicity and shared indulgence. Today, flipping pancakes has become both a domestic tradition and a public, highly visible moment of light-hearted participation.
Neither of these days was created for marketing. Both were created for people. Yet over time, their popularity and familiarity have made them ideal vehicles for promotion – raising an important question for modern brands: Can love really batter your marketing calendar?
When tradition is driven by the marketing machine
Marketing didn’t invent Valentine’s Day or Pancake Day. What it did do was recognise established human behaviour and formalise it. Rituals became moments. Moments became campaigns. Campaigns became expected. Event dates like these end up featuring in the marketing calendar.
That process isn’t inherently negative. But once tradition is fed through the marketing machine, something subtle changes. The focus shifts from why the day exists to what brands can do with it. Meaning becomes output.
When tradition turns into a template, people stop asking why they’re taking part and start focusing on what they’re expected to do. In that moment, showing up becomes more important than meaning — and participation quietly replaces intention.
From a genuine gesture to public display of love
Valentine’s Day offers the clearest example of this shift. What was once a largely private expression of affection has increasingly become a very public one with the need to demonstrate love rather than just privately display it!.
• For individuals, that can feel like pressure, to do more and buy more.
• For brands, it can feel like an obligation to participate in the expected noise.
Marketing begins to mirror the performance rather than the sentiment. Content appears because “everyone else is doing it”. Campaigns launch because the date demands it, not because the message earns it.
Audiences notice when love is reduced to nothing more than we must be involved – and when presence replaces purpose.
Same batter, different topping: Loving up marketing calendar
The marketing calendar is comforting. It removes uncertainty. It tells teams when to show up and be involved. But it doesn’t tell them what matters.
Rely on it too heavily and creativity flattens. Pancake Day becomes a familiar visual trope. Valentine’s Day becomes a predictable colour palette. The message changes, but the formula stays the same.
It’s safe. It’s efficient. And more often than not, it’s forgettable.
Your marketing calendar, getting the mix right
Despite the cynicism, these moments appear to have not lost their power entirely.
They still work because they sit in shared cultural memory. and they require no explanation. They give people permission to pause, indulge, reflect or connect. Used thoughtfully, they can feel warm, timely and genuinely human.
The difference lies in the restraint and relevance of the marketing you perform. When brands treat these moments as invitations rather than obligations, the results feel natural instead of noisy. It isn’t the date that creates a connection – it’s the intent behind it.
It’s not the moment – it’s the execution
Seasonal marketing isn’t the problem. Lazy seasonal marketing is. Don’t just shove it in your marketing calendar, just to be part of it! Consider: does it mean something to you audience? Does it align with our brand?
The weakest campaigns shout the occasion and hope it carries the message. The strongest ones understand the mood, the audience and the context – and respond accordingly.
Sometimes that means humour.
Often improved insight.
And, saying less, not more.
Good marketing doesn’t perform relevance. It earns it.
To flip or not to flip: Choosing your moments carefully
Not every brand needs to show up for every date – and that’s okay.
Seasonal moments should be chosen, not inherited and certainly not mandatory. If the connection is forced, audiences feel it. If the message doesn’t align with your values or your voice, silence is often the smarter option.
The calendar should inspire ideas, not dictate behaviour.
Our take: Meaning over momentum
You don’t need a special day to connect with your audience. But if you’re going to use one, it should mean something — to you and to them.
Marketing driven by meaning lasts longer than marketing driven by momentum. And brands that understand that don’t need to chase every occasion to stay relevant.
Because the calendar can suggest the moment – but strategy should always decide the message.
Ready to rethink the recipe for your marketing calendar?
If your marketing feels a little overmixed – or you’re tired of flipping the same ideas every year – we can help you draft a meaningful and engaging marketing calendar.
Visual Identity creates marketing that balances structure with originality, creativity with strategy, and commercial goals with genuine human connection.
📩 Get in touch to talk brand strategy, campaigns and content that work — seasonally and sustainably.
