The feast of St. Valentine, also known as the Lovers' Day, has no clear origin. However, scholars agree in associating this holiday with St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, martyr and saint condemned to death for converting pagans to Christianity and helping Christians who were victims of persecution. The religious holiday, concurrent with the saint's day of death, was established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I and replaced the pagan festival of Lupercalia

The link between St. Valentine and love remains nebulous and has been enriched over the centuries by legends around the saint's figure. Among the most famous ones, it is worth mentioning the story that tells how the Bishop of Terni celebrated the marriage between a very ill young Christian woman and a Roman centurion. A union opposed by the young woman's family, nevertheless celebrated by St. Valentine after baptizing the Roman soldier.

Instead, the first exchanges of love messages and gifts between lovers would date back to the early Middle Ages, with the spread of Amor cortese. In particular, in Anglo-Saxon countries Valentine's Day established itself as lovers' day, later extending to the rest of the world.
The first commercial Valentine's Day postcards were produced in 1847 by U.S. artist Esther Howland. Thus began the evolution of Valentine's Day from a simple celebration of love to a significant commercial opportunity.

Is Valentine's Day still a business opportunity today? More importantly, does love still sell? For Monica Mendini, professor-researcher in Marketing at the Center for Management Skills and Entrepreneurship (CMI), the answer to both questions is yes, but with some clarifications.

"Valentine's Day continues to have considerable commercial importance, with storefronts and websites often filled with hearts, although in recent years there have also been other commercial events that have gained popularity such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Singles' Day. The latter, in particular, has loomed as a kind of anti-Valentine's Day. Starting in fact as a Chinese event celebrated on November 11 (11.11 to emphasize being single), it has become one of the world's biggest online shopping days. 

Although nowadays it has perhaps lost some of its luster compared to the past, Valentine's Day is still a good opportunity to promote products related to love. Think of flowers: the nationwide volume of business on the day of love accounts for about 5 percent of the industry's annual sales. Then there are the great classics, chocolates and jewelry, or solidarity gifts that aim to support charitable initiatives, although the trend is increasingly to prefer romantic dinners, concerts, romantic weekends and couple experiences."

Is romantic love still a marketing tool?
"Yes, romantic love remains a widely used tool. Emotions are a powerful element in convincing consumers to make purchases, and love always remains one of the most universal and powerful emotions. However, it should be noted that we are seeing a paradigm shift among consumers toward a broader celebration of relationships beyond the classic concept of love. There is a move toward a more inclusive approach: people talk about friendship, gratitude, self-care. Friends, colleagues, pets, classmates and teachers are included. Indeed, projections suggest that spending on gifts to these new targets on Valentine's Day is likely to rise. Beyond that, many are pushing for a Valentine's Day of self-gifting, a celebration of self-esteem and self-love: a promoting the idea of self-gifts for Valentine's Day, encouraging singles to take care of themselves and pamper themselves."

It seems that love will always have a place in marketing, despite some more prurient drifts, think of food that is often presented as foodporn today.
"It is true that during Valentine's Day (and also not only during this holiday) one can find a lot of content with a sexual, erotic, provocative connotation. Food itself is often presented in a sensual, even lustful way at times, to evoke passion and desire. However, it is important to remember that the concept of love has no defined contours. It is a very broad, complex and at times subjective concept. It can manifest itself in many different forms, not only romantic but also familiar, friendly, or more provocative and so on. Let's say that Valentine's Day is meant to be a holiday that celebrates love and today also meaningful relationships in all its positive forms. These are still widely appreciated themes that will continue to play an important role in people's lives."