Branding For Love

February 14, 2011 • 11:31 am • POSTED BY nbenson

Ah, February. In our culture, this month is best known for its overstock of chocolates, cards depicting winged and diapered babies dangerously clutching bows and arrows, fancy meals, drink specials, rectangle boxes of conversation hearts that always taste just a little bit ‘expired’ but you suck on them anyway, and any other tangible reminding you that February 14^th is just around the corner. These products continue to represent the Valentines Day brand, motivating (or unmotivating) us all to engage with their signifying concepts.

In researching the brand and societal instigation that is Valentines Day, I wonder: How do we “brand ourselves” in the dating market? How many of us actually recognize that we each function as our own walking and talking advertisements for love and companionship?

Our brand is communicated thanks to personal profiles via OkCupid, eHarmony, Match.com, JDate (holler), and Facebook sites alike; each profile culminating into how we hope to sell ourselves to prospective suitors. Essentially, our social media profiles are to dating sites what conversation hearts are to Valentines Day: a brand confronting its concept and exercising its purpose. However, contrary to popular belief, looking for love via media and communication outlets is no new trend.

Last year, The New York Times featured an op-ed piece about Rutgers University Professor Pam Epstein’s Advertising For Love blog, in which Epstein exposes and analyzes personal advertisements from the mid-19^th to early 20^th centuries. If you ask me, our current way of indirectly “going after” guys and dolls just isn’t how it used to be. One of her example matrimony ads is as follows:

“A gentleman of refinement, education, and high toned honor, belonging to an excellent family, a stranger in this part of the world, who would be happy to begin a confident correspondence with a well bred and accomplished young lady, 18 or 20 years old, of fine personal appearance and beautiful face, and occupying a good position in the best circles of society, with a view to matrimony.”

It’s beautifully written, right? Just a little different than the personal ads of today, most of which are completely saturated with sexual obscurities and hush-hush curiosity. No wonder the first sighting of Valentines Day cards at Target causes rage amongst the masses! The ways that hopeful men of the 19^th and 20^th centuries branded themselves in newspaper personals evoke a sense of dignity, optimism, and care, but the internet isn’t always as friendly.

Online dating, however, can be an exciting platform as it allows us to hold onto and control our romantic identities in a whole new manner. But just like most other online opportunities, the internet do taketh what it giveth away. Intentions can be easily skewed thus our brands must remain in check. Similar to the relationship between any marketing strategy and execution, our identity, related details, mission, and goals must all line up. Or else shit can get weird.

So before you log on to stalk – er, investigate – “that special someone” for a last minute date tonight, make sure that you, as a brand, stay as honest and pure as a conversation heart.