Deliveroo apologises for ‘misjudged’ Valentine’s Day PR stunt – UK Times

Deliveroo has apologised for a Valentine’s Day campaign which saw them send handwritten cards to customers ahead of the celebration.

The food delivery company sent flower discount promotions in the post with handwritten envelopes and cards addressed to “My Valentine”, signed off from Deliveroo.

The campaign received backlash for misleading people initially into thinking they had received an actual Valentine’s card from a secret admirer, when really it was another form of marketing.

After receiving negative feedback, Deliveroo told The Independent: “We fully appreciate that the copy on the handwritten envelopes for our flower discount promotion was misjudged.

“Whilst the contents of the envelopes were clearly branded and the copy was inclusive to both those treating themselves or others, we apologise for any upset this promotion has caused and are reviewing our internal processes.”

Deliveroo’s letter campaign caught people’s attention on social media, with one person on Reddit calling it “dastardly”.

They continued: “My postie was like ‘oooh that’s exciting’. Hope he never asks where it was from as I am too ashamed to admit my only valentines was a 15% off flowers voucher.”

Another person pointed out this might cause issues in households with jealous partners.

The original poster agreed, responding: “From the outside it looks like a generic valentines card with a handwritten address and the name is ‘my valentine’. You can only tell it’s an ad when you open it.

“Someone’s getting stitched up with that one for sure.”

Another person took to X to post: “S*** myself at getting a handwritten anonymous valentine only to open it and it be from Deliveroo ???!?!??!”

Deliveroo’s cards aren’t their only marketing campaign for Valentine’s Day, as they announced a free sommelier service for customers in London, Manchester and Brighton.

The service, bookable from 4pm on 13 February for a limited number of people, will see a sommelier visit customers’ homes and offer wine pairings curated by TikTok’s self-proclaimed wine guy, Tom Gilbey.

Mr Gilbey has paired Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference wines with a number of dishes found at a number of Deliveroo vendors, from Wingstop and Five Guys to Pizza Express and Toby Carvery.