For the first time in five years, the Diamond Trading Co. is doing a national Valentine’s Day ad campaign. Each ad, from JWT, shows a classic romance-novel image, with an average joe’s face somewhat comically superimposed on the face of the romantic hero. The idea is to get guys to buy right-hand rings for their ladies. (This is assuming the ladies haven’t already bought them for themselves.) Promotional copy explains: “This Valentine’s Day you won’t need a chiseled chest, rippling biceps or a European accent to be the romantic hero for the woman you love.” There’s a special section on DTC’s Web site for guys to explore. Apparently there’s a street-marketing element to the campaign, too. Yesterday, in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, “hunky” men prowled the streets handing out magnets that look like the ad and that women can customize with images of their boyfriends.

—Posted by Tim Nudd