Hearts and Roaches: A Valentine’s Day Classic
Does your loved one ever bug you? Of course they do. So why not immortalize them with a roach for Valentine’s Day?
In what is probably my favorite fundraising campaign ever, the Bronx Zoo is offering lovers (and maybe those not so in love any more) the chance to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach in the honor of someone special.
Donors receive a digital certificate, and for an extra donation can throw in a box of chocolates. (Sorry sweethearts, the packages with the plush cockroaches are sold out.)
While it might seem like an iffy proposition to bestow your honey’s moniker on an insect for February 14, the program—which began in 2011—is an extremely fun way to raise money for a good cause.
But remember, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for those with significant others. As a recent article on Entrepreneur.com notes, over half of Americans identify as single, and many are just as likely to buy a gift for their pets or friends as their boyfriend or girlfriend.
Valentine’s Day is unique in that unlike other gift buying holidays such as Christmas, most people don’t put a lot of advance thought into the process: 46% don’t start thinking about their purchases until early February, reports Entrepreneur.
Still, even with the last minute purchases, the number of online Valentine’s shoppers is increasing every year, with desktop and mobile searches and purchases split nearly 50/50. (For marketers here, the message is clear: offer free or discounted shipping to keep digital paramours out of the doghouse.)
Of course, there’s always the roaches, which, as the Bronx Zoo would like remind you, are forever. (If you’ve ever lived in an apartment, you know that already. But that’s another story.)
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