I Can Buy Myself Flowers: Why Brands Need to Pay More Attention to Singles

It’s that time of year again, when red roses litter every supermarket aisle and restaurants are cashing in on loved-up couples. It’s nearly Valentine’s Day. But, to me and other consciously uncoupled folks, Valentine’s Day is just another day. I really don’t need to be encouraged to matchmake, nor do I feel the need to book a Galentine’s dinner. If you’re using Valentine’s Day as the only opportunity to reach the singles market, then you’re missing a trick. 

There’s plenty of us flying solo. In the UK, we make up about 50 percent of the adult population. And we’re growing. The number of women not living in a couple, who have never married, is rising in every age range under 70. Brands need to get on board with this evolution or risk alienating a key section of society. 

So in the year that's begun with Miley Cyrus proclaiming she ‘can buy herself flowers’ (on repeat), how can brands pay more attention to the singletons of the world all year round? 

Firstly, the singles market is diverse. We come in all shapes and sizes. And ages. Brands often lump us all together as one entity, often targeting their marketing to the 18-26 year old demographic. What about those of us who have chosen to stay single, or those who have embarked on the whole relationship thing and now find themselves embracing a solo venture? When advertising to the singles market, rule number one is to think of us beyond our relationship status. 

Singledom also comes with an array of stereotypes. The Bridget Jones narrative of the early noughties has cemented the sad single girl cliché into society, but in 2023, being single doesn’t mean sobbing into a pint of ice cream on a Saturday night. 49% of singles say that they have made a recent active change to put themselves first. Rather than seeing single as the exception, see singledom as a life choice, one that should be celebrated and embraced rather than shunned and excluded. 

To avoid the ‘sad and single’ narrative, brands can inject a feel-good attitude into their marketing that leaves a consumer feeling understood and acknowledged. It’s time to move past typecasting and embrace the power of being able to focus on yourself.

A sector shining a light on individual empowerment is fitness. With exercise often a solo activity that is beneficial to your mental and physical health, marketing in this area is all about individual self improvement. The 2015 ‘What About You?’ campaign from This Girl Can is a great example of this, focusing on individual characters and the empowering feeling they achieve through exercise. 

Brands that aren’t naturally focused on the individual need to adopt this attitude in their marketing. This will encourage a shift in societal opinion, whilst helping single people to feel seen and understood. 

The travel sector could leverage the solo market more successfully, focusing on the individual delight and feeling of taking a trip. Solo trips are fantastic. They’re perceived as a bit sad, but when I discovered them I felt like I was part of an untouched secret society. However, booking one was no easy task. I had to put in extra effort to plan a holiday in a market that caters to 2+ humans. Traditional holiday advertising features happy families, with most offers and deals aimed at groups of people, meaning single people struggle to feel included in this type of marketing. 

This is a missed opportunity for brands, as solo holidays are becoming more popular, with single households having access to more disposable income. We’re here and we’re ready to spend, but we’re unlikely to part with our cash when made to feel like an anomaly. By catering to the needs and requirements of individuals, brands can make single people feel seen. Travel and plenty of other sectors have the chance to acknowledge this growing audience, catering to their needs and requirements that’ll inevitably lead to customer loyalty. 

So in summary, start paying attention to us. We’re the self-care generation changing the narrative around relationships and we’re crying out for brands to acknowledge our existence. So ditch the sob stories, and implement marketing around the individual, and we’ll show you plenty of love in return.