Gift giving occasions are changing. In the latter stages of childhood, this writer got ‘Easter presents’ instead of chocolate, and some kids today even manage to score a video game for losing a tooth. This Valentine’s Day, one of my colleagues was given a ski jacket. Nothing says love like a ski jacket.
 
Flipping up the connotations of commemorations isn’t new, but a recent analysis from social media monitoring company Alterian proves that Valentine’s Day isn’t just about a red rose and dinner anymore.
 
Alterian analysed more than 1.3 million online conversations in the UK, USA and Australia in the three weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, and perhaps surprisingly for the old romantics, technology purchases were the most buzzed about Valentine’s gift.
 
Intriguingly, Aussies and the British were keener on technology gifts for Valentine’s Day than Americans.  
 
“Not surprisingly, the highest volume of conversations was in the United States,” Alterian’s senior vice president Chris Tew says, “but unlike the UK and Australia, tech gadgets did not feature in their conversations about gifts.”
 
Home grown love was not all lost though, with “hanging out” coming in as the first preference for Valentine’s Day activities, and cards and handmade items coming in after tech gadgets as trending Valentine’s day terms. Flowers actually came in last on the list, behind Chocolate, clothes, jewellery, 3D items (huh?), and soft toys.
 
Did you receive or buy a technology item for Valentine’s Day? Did any sort of marketing drive inspire your purchase? Drop a comment below or connect with us on Twitter via @Marketingmag