The excitement and anticipation leading up to Valentine’s Day in elementary school is hard to forget. Who would have the best cards and candy to pass out? Would my recess buddy and long-time crush write me something special? How many boxes of Conversation Hearts would I collect?
Times change, traditions evolve, but the sentiments remain the same.
Today is February 14th and on college campuses around the country, both women and men are in a panic as they try to decide the perfect way to make the day of love as special as they can for their own special someone. Is it better to play it safe and send the routine flowers and chocolates? What about a romantic dinner? What kind of card sends the right message? Does creativity dare make its mark?
DigitalMediaIX, a market research company, based in the Silicon Valley, did a spot survey of college students and their plans for this year’s Valentine’s Day. Although many students reflect on the holiday similarly, it was most interesting to see how students planned and anticipated the most romantic day of the year.
Most students “live in the moment,” as less than a third planned anything special for Valentine’s Day more than a day in advance. Couples rank their favorite Valentine’s traditions as many would expect; going to out for dinner (30%), sending a card (30%), and getting flowers (28%). However, outranking everything in the mind of a college student seems to be a good old-fashioned “snuggle,” which was mentioned by nearly 60% of college students.
A romantic dinner, flowers and snuggling are all fine and dandy, but it certainly would not be Valentine’s Day without a whole lot of candy, taken or single! A spot poll of women at University of Wisconsin made it clear that the candy of choice on college campuses is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, made by The Hershey Company. In fact, 50% of women surveyed had already received a gift of Reese’s candy with a Valentine-theme package. Unfortunately for those in a relationship, women also noted that, “While candy is a nice gift to receive from parents or friends, a dinner/date or flowers is what they would prefer from a boyfriend.”
Hershey’s is in the enviable position of having not only the favorite candy of college students[1], but is also responsible for one of the more vivid representations of love – The Hershey Kiss. In addition, Hershey’s has at least 40 different packages of candy to support the Valentine’s Day holiday http://goo.gl/qPi8k.
If you’re not into sending flowers, dining out or snuggling on the couch, don’t be afraid to try something a little different! One student, whose boyfriend was studying abroad in England, decided to take him out for dinner…virtually! She sent him a gift certificate to a local sushi bar in Cambridge and the two will video chat from 6,000 miles away while enjoying a cup of sake!
[1] DigitalMediaIX fall 2012 survey of college students. Reese’s was the leading candy brand among college students, with 39% registering it in their top three. DigitalMediaIX surveyed more than 2,000 students from colleges and universities across the nation in the fall of 2012.
Add your comment about something special you or a friend did for Valentine’s Day.
Photos Courtesy of UW-Madison Archives
