We created a social experiment involving ten couples. We separately asked each partner: “How would you describe your feelings without using the word love?”

Each interview was filmed, then the couples were shown what each partner said. The connection this enabled showed the value of a deeper emotional sentiment, even for couples who say “I love you” all the time.

We shared the videos through social media, YouTube, and PutYourHeartToPaper.com. To create a larger conversation around them, Hallmark created #DontSayILoveYou. Having the brand post and share something so completely at odds with what they stand for helped garner people’s interest.

The campaign garnered national attention with outlets across traditional and digital media sharing the videos. The campaign generated over 4 million views on YouTube. On Facebook it had 2.4 million views and over 20,000 shares. Inspired by the videos, readers commented on the articles, shared stories about their own relationships, and turned some articles into relationship forums. The campaign injected some much-need life into the Hallmark brand, making it more relevant to a younger demographic. This relevancy helped the campaign go viral. Additionally, the brand’s inclusion of an LGBT couple for the first time helped Hallmark further break out.