Written by Nicole Webb

It’s that time again where my social feeds are full of pink and red and all love-hearty. Don’t get me wrong Valentine’s Day can be great – you can get to say the thing, book the dinner, buy the flowers – but expectations often don’t match the reality.

Valentine’s Day is a reminder that relationships decay without consistent care. If your brand only ‘shows love’ at cultural moments, the relationship is already fragile.

Just about every sneaker brand has dropped a Valentine’s Day themed collection this year.

What does Adidas or Nike have to do with love, connection or relationships?

Celebrating love is not part of their brand ethos. Their core messaging is around performance, sports culture, innovation and aspiration. They are borrowing a cultural moment so they sell more product this time of year.

Barilla pasta on the other hand has released (for the second year) a limited-edition heart-shaped pasta. Globally, the brand has consistently positioned itself around togetherness at the table and its story telling is often emotional. It’s not borrowing a cultural moment, it’s extending a brand truth.

Cultural moments don’t create meaning – they amplify it

If there’s no underlying belief system, values or POV to amplify, the moment feels empty. That’s why some brands show up on recognised days and feel natural while others feel forced – even if the creative is strong. The difference isn’t execution. It’s alignment.

One-off moments create awareness, not relationships. They borrow attention rather than earning trust. In an environment where feeds are oversaturated and attention is fragmented, audiences are increasingly sceptical of brands that only show up when it suits them.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t fail because expectations are too high. It fails because the groundwork wasn’t done the other 364 days.

Marketing is no different.

Always-on doesn’t mean always-reacting.

Always-on means knowing who you are, what you stand for, and showing up consistently in a way that feels recognisable. It means owning your perspective even when it’s quieter, slower, or less flashy than the trend of the week.

The brands winning right now aren’t the ones broadcasting louder at cultural moments. They’re the ones building trust in between them.

They understand that culture doesn’t live in one dominant feed anymore. It lives across dozens of microworlds – private communities, niche audiences. You don’t earn a place in those spaces with a single stunt. You earn it by showing up, listening, and contributing something of value over time.

Do this!

• Stand for something even when it’s not trending
• Repeat ideas until they’re recognisable
• Choose relevance over reach
• Resist the urge to perform sentiment that isn’t true to the brand

Cultural moments aren’t the enemy, but they’re not a strategy.