# Professor Priya Raghubir illustrates why Valentine's Day is an important marketing tool for businesses

1 Faculty News February 10, 2016 ![Bankrate logo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_030934.jpg?itok=snzuY3k_)>

Excerpt from [Bankrate](http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/valentines-day-costs-1.aspx) -- "'Is it a gimmick? No. Is it a festival which marketers have leveraged relentlessly to make a dime? Yes,' [Raghubir](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/priya-raghubir) says. 'The winter is normally not an ideal time to go shopping because it's cold, it's rainy. People have just had a load of gifts, both that they have bought for others and that they have received. So it's something to try and get them to spend a little more.'"

[Read more](http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/valentines-day-costs-1.aspx)