Perhaps it's the pandemic, but some of the ideas we're seeing for Valentine's Day this year suggest it's going to take more than romantic gestures to get couples in the mood on Feb. 14.

We've had a mortgage company write an erotic novel; Lowe's offering couples special dinner, toast and splash painting sessions; and others such as Stonyfield Dairy offering a "date with a cow" (see Ad Age's roundup of what marketers are up to here.)

Over in France, a humorous campaign from Bouygues Telecom has a suggestion for how to bring back the romance when you're both constantly scrolling on your phones in bed.  It's an issue we've seen telecom brands tackle before (like Brazil's Vivo in this heartwarming 2017 spot) but this one has a more practical answer to your tech obsession; just get a shorter charging cable already.  With the company's new mini-charger, only 3.2cm long, you won't be able to charge your phone and scroll at the same time. The upside is that you can listen to your lover sing cheesy guitar compositions instead. 

The spot comes from BETC and was directed by Hafid Benamar of Allso, with French comedy duo Laura Felpin and Cedric Salaun starring as the couple.