‘Lovers and myGov-ers’: the best and worst Valentine’s Day PR stunts

Valentine’s Day is all about love and romance and letting your special person know how much you care. Or is it? For most proficient publicists, it means just one thing: the chance to promote your product, no matter how tangential the connection to the celebration of love.

For the PR savvy it’s about tapping into the $485m Australians are estimated to spend on Valentine’s Day this year, according to Roy Morgan. But some have only succeeded in banking internet reactions.

Lovers and myGov-ers rejoice

Politics is all about love, right? The government services minister, Bill Shorten, has been on a bit of a social media binge, sharing memes urging “lovers and myGov-ers” to download the government services app.

Allow Instagram content?

This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.

Love ACCCtually

Australia’s consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, seems to think scams make for great Valentine’s Day fodder.

It has issued a media release urging Australians “to have a heart-to-heart with their friends and family members this Valentine’s Day, as they can play a vital role in protecting their loved ones from the heartache caused by scams”.

The ACCC deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, said: “Scammers are cold-hearted criminals who use unscrupulous tactics to trick their victims into sharing their personal details and emptying their wallets …

“Romance scammers will pull on their victim’s heartstrings to get what they want. We know of an Australian woman who lost more than $250,000 after an online relationship with a man who claimed to be an overseas doctor needing money for medical equipment.”

If you want practical advice on how to navigate that conversation on Valentine’s Day, or any other, you can find the ACCC’s tips here.

Burning love

KCSA Strategic Communications understands that nothing gets you in the mood for romance quite like being reminded of incurable sexually transmitted diseases. Which is why it opened its pitch for a client’s range of at-home STI tests with this cracker of a line: “Happy Valentine’s Day – there is untreatable gonorrhea going around.”

Tuna temptress

Coles wants you to know that treating your significant other doesn’t have to break the bank but it may cause bad breath.

There’s chocolate, ice-cream and … tuna tempters on special. Maybe it is targeting cat lovers.

Legume love

The agricultural campaign Legumes From Europe believes “the time has come to celebrate love in all its forms” and is encouraging romantics everywhere to “surprise your special someone, step outside the box and amaze them with a recipe using canned legumes”.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Guardian Australia’s Morning Mail

Our Australian morning briefing email breaks down the key national and international stories of the day and why they matter

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

The three-year campaign, supported by the European Commission, wants you to appreciate how red bean and couscous cheeseburgers are “ideal for expressing love”.

“Ideal for a sunset on the beach or a picnic, or after watching a romantic comedy together at the cinema, this recipe using Legumes From Europe will be the best Valentine’s Day gift you can give or, who knows, receive,” the press release said.

The recipe calls for 400g of canned red kidney beans, plus the liquid from the can. The campaign said it would be “perfect for a different Valentine’s Day”. Here’s hoping that difference isn’t the ambient music of beans and their well-known capacity to cause flatulence.

Galentines be steam rollin’

On the Gold Coast, some are taking this week as an opportunity to spurn capitalism and ex-lovers as they gathered to steamroll presents from their exes.

A designer handbag, a computer monitor and keyboard and a wedding dress were among the items in the roller’s path.

How to lose Dominic in 39 days

Dominic Perrottet was no doubt feeling the love from the New South Wales Labor opposition when it used 90s romcoms to urge voters to dump the government at next month’s state election.

As online commentators have pointed out, Labor’s PR might not have really thought this one through. The lovestruck couple always end up together in the end.

More cute than cringeA heart-nosed koala for Valentine’s Day. Photograph: IFAW

And, finally, this cuteness. The International Fund for Animal Welfare is hoping a koala with a loveheart mark on the tip of his nose will help Australians spread the love.

Rafa, who was rescued as a joey, was one of many the organisation and its partner, Friends of the Koala hospital in East Lismore, have rehabilitated and been able to be release back into the wild after graduation from koala kindergarten.

Dr Jodie Wakeman, an IFAW vet at Friends of the Koala, said Rafa “stole the heart of the team with his heart-shaped pattern on his nose, and seeing them one step closer to life in the wild, is why we do this work”.