People have their own ways of celebrating Valentine’s day, but if there’s one thing we all did in common, it’s that we spent part of it online: on February 14 alone, there were at least 120,000 mentions of Valentine’s on Philippine internet.
And because Valentine’s day is a day for love, we at AdSpark decided to do what we love (and love what we do): we scoured hundreds of thousands of Valentine’s content on the internet with the use of AdSpark Intelligence, our proprietary suite of listening and intelligence tools.
With AdSpark Intelligence, we listened in on what netizens are talking about, how they felt, and where they’re coming from, just so we can settle the question once and for all — what do Filipinos think about Valentine’s?
1. Love comes in many forms
It seems Filipinos just really love love. This Valentine’s day, Philippine Twitter’s sentiment was overwhelmingly positive at 96.0% — much higher than the worldwide average of 84.0%. And how do we love love? Let us count the ways:
We love through our music. On February 14, 5 of the most-streamed tracks on Spotify Philippines were #hugot songs, songs that attempt to capture the deeply sentimental feeling of loving and pining after someone.
If gifts are your love language, we also love through giving. Demand for flowers spikes by up to 6 times during Valentine’s season, and in a 2018 study by Mastercard, 71% of Filipinos said they planned to buy Valentine’s gifts for their loved ones (higher than the regional average of 48%).
But most importantly, we love through our words and actions. Reports by market research firm Ipsos and financial firm Pru Life UK paint a picture of Filipinos as perhaps the most expressive lovers in the Asia-Pacific region: we are the most likely to share intimate moments with our partners, the most likely to laugh together, and the most likely to tell our partners we love them.
It really is no surprise, then, that we’re one of the top countries that turned it out on social media during Valentine’s Day alongside more populated nations like India and the United States.
2. We do it for the ‘Gram
Years ago, Valentine’s day celebrations were simple: flowers, chocolates, and a fancy dinner were enough to make any loved one feel special. And while we’re not disputing the power of a bouquet of roses on February 14, Valentine’s celebrations have become more and more creative over the past few years.
The rise of social media — especially Tumblr and Instagram — has encouraged digital natives to develop their own eye for aesthetics. Case in point: Google searches for “aesthetic” have been on the rise since 2014, and increased at a faster rate since the creation of Instagram in 2016.
And while “doing it for the ‘Gram” is a worldwide phenomenon, Asians, especially, have taken it to the next level, with the largest volume of searches for “Instagrammable” coming from the Philippines.
But Instagrammable doesn’t necessarily mean not affordable; while some people chose to travel to ‘gram-worthy spots with their loved ones in celebration of the day of hearts (location data shows a slight increase in traffic around airports during the week before February 14), many Filipinos took matters into their own hands — literally.
In the days leading up to Valentine’s 2019, Google searches were no longer limited to “Valentines quote,” “Valentines card,” or “Valentines gifts” as they were in the past 5 years — Filipinos also began searching for decors, calligraphy, balloons, and other do-it-yourself-related queries to give their loved ones the ultimate Instagrammable Valentine’s without breaking the bank.
3. Valentine’s is for everyone
Gone are the days when being single meant not celebrating Valentine’s. With social media expanding your reach, regardless of whether or not you’re an influencer, you can now greet anyone a happy Valentine’s day — your followers, your idols, or just anyone who comes upon your social media profile.
Indeed, a cursory search of “happy Valentine’s day” on social media will deliver greetings like “happy Valentine’s day, guys!” or “happy Valentine’s day to everyone!” from various users. No more loneliness that comes with being home on February 14 while everyone else is dining out. No date? No problem: with the whole world right at your fingertips, you’re never really alone.
There’s also plenty of reasons for anyone to celebrate on Valentine’s day; just ask fans of MayWard, KathNiel, and AlDub. As the love teams released content on various platforms (online and offline), their supporters rallied behind them to promote their favorites and get them to trend.
Whether it’s the premiere of a much-awaited movie, a concert featuring 2 of the most beloved Filipino celebrities, or even just a new episode of a local romcom series, Valentine’s in this day and age is no longer just about romantic love — it’s also about what one is passionate about, speaking up about it, and connecting with people who share the same love.
AdSpark Intelligence allows you to understand what your audiences are — and aren’t — talking about, so your brand can craft a marketing strategy that can connect emotionally to your target markets.
If you want to learn more about AdSpark Intelligence, contact us at https://adspark.ph/contact-us or info@adspark.ph, or check out what else we’ve discovered through AdSpark Intelligence.
SOURCES:
Spotify (February 14, 2019). Spotify Charts [Top 200, Philippines]. Retrieved from
https://spotifycharts.com/regional/ph/daily/2019-02-14
Mastercard Intelligence (February 13, 2018). Mastercard index: Love and pockets run deep in Asia Pacific as Valentine’s day spend soars. Retrieved from
https://www1.mastercard.com/content/intelligence/en/research/press-release/2018/mastercard-index–love-and-pockets-run-deep-in-asia-pacific-as-v.html
Pru Life UK (November 24, 2016). Pru Life UK identifies highs and lows of Filipino personal relationship in new research. Retrieved from
https://www.prulifeuk.com.ph/en/our-company/press-releases/2016/112416/
Pru Life UK (November 10, 2017). Philippines retains second spot in Asia on relationship fulfilment according to new 2017 relationship study by Pru Life UK. Retrieved from
https://www.prulifeuk.com.ph/en/our-company/press-releases/2017/philippines-retains-second-spot-in-asia-on-relationship-fulfilment-according-to-new-2017-relationship-study-by-pru-life-uk/
Trendogate (February 14, 2019). Trends in Philippines / Philippines. Retrieved from
https://trendogate.com/placebydate/23424934/2019-02-14
Google Trends (n.d.). Google Trends [aesthetic, Worldwide, 2004-present]. Retrieved from
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=aesthetic
Google Trends (n.d.). Google Trends [instagrammable, Worldwide, 2004-present]. Retrieved from
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=instagrammable
