Domestic abuse charity No More has put the spotlight on coercive behaviour in its Valentine’s Day campaign.

‘Language of Love’, devised by integrated communications agency MullenLowe UK, aims to highlight that some relationships are not “as sweet as they seem”.

The marketing drive features a series of gift cards that contain messages such as ‘I Love you to death’ and ‘You’re mine’. These messages may seem romantic, but to someone in an abusive relationship they can hold a much darker meaning.

The gift card designs will be rolled out via No More’s social media channels and some of the designs will also feature on out-of-home posters.

Nicky Bullard, chief creative officer at MullenLowe said: “Verbal abuse is very often a precursor to physical abuse. But verbal abuse comes in many forms – including coercive language.

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“On the one day of the year when ‘love language’ is everywhere, we wanted to highlight what coercive language looks like and help as many people recognise it as we can.”

As part of the initiative, the foundation unveiled a short film, which featured a voice note from a man to his partner, which highlights his increasingly controlling and possessive behaviour.

No More CEO Pamela Zaballa said: “While Valentine’s Day is often filled with grand romantic gestures, for people in unhealthy relationships, love can be laced with control, threats, and fear.

“Through this ‘Language of Love’ campaign, we hope to increase awareness of coercive control and encourage those affected to seek support.”