A scary sight has happened in the supermarkets recently, and no, we aren’t talking about the price of eggs. Halloween decorations are appearing on shelves earlier each year. I saw T.K.Maxx had them on the shelves in July! Halloween has evolved far beyond a single night for trick-or-treating into a full-scale cultural event, and for marketers, it represents an unmissable opportunity.
Halloween’s playful and spooky nature gives brands a unique opportunity to show personality, connect with audiences on an emotional level, and stand out from the competition before the end-of-year rush.
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Why Halloween Marketing Campaigns Work
- High-Intent Audiences
- Consumers are actively searching for inspiration, costumes, recipes, decor, and party ideas. This “discovery” mindset makes them highly receptive to creative and engaging content.
- Unleash Brand Personality
- The holiday’s playful and spooky nature grants permission to be witty, bold, and human. It’s the perfect moment to build deeper emotional equity with your audience.
- An International Holiday
- Halloween’s popularity is growing internationally, providing a relevant hook for diverse audiences.
- Prime Momentum for the End of the Year
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- A successful Halloween campaign acts as a powerful launchpad, keeping your brand top-of-mind as customers transition into the holiday shopping season. Leading the way for Black Friday and Christmas later in the year.
Impactful Halloween Marketing Campaigns
I think we can all agree that we’ve received enough marketing emails with “A treat for your inbox” as the subject line. This year, think about how your campaigns can stand out.
Horror Stories
The most effective strategies that have stuck with us after years are rooted in storytelling.
Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights is one of my favourite Halloween horror-filled marketing stories. While traditional Halloween (especially in America) is family-friendly, Universal targeted an audience craving authentic horror.
They built a sustained narrative with annual themes, original characters, and haunted houses based on pop culture, creating a must-attend event that builds excitement for months.
Competitor Hijacking
Storytelling within your marketing campaign doesn’t need to be brand new, you can leverage previous brand stories. Burger King repeatedly uses Halloween to directly troll its main competitor, McDonald’s. Some of their Halloween campaigns have been subtle, they ran a simple campaign featuring a creepy clown wandering at night, with the tagline “Come as a clown, get a free Whopper.” and “Come as a clown, leave as a king.”
It was a direct, clever, and slightly terrifying dig at McDonald’s. Some years, they have been even more direct with their dig at McDonald’s. In New York, Burger King covered their store in a huge white sheet, imitating a ghost… but not just any ghost. The ghost of their main competitor, McDonald’s! The sheet played on the McDonald’s logo and famous golden arches to create a ghostly face, with a special sign that read “Booooooo! Just kidding, we still flame grill our burgers. Happy Halloween.” Savage!
Key Takeaways for an Impactful Campaign:
Be Authentic: The best campaigns fit the brand’s core identity perfectly. Don’t force a spooky theme if it doesn’t align.
Create an Experience: Go beyond a simple social post. Whether it’s an immersive event, an in-store experience, or a real-world stunt, experiences are memorable and shareable.
Leverage Humour or Fear (or both): Burger King used humour and mild fear to hijack the conversation. Universal uses pure terror. Decide on your emotional tone.
Use Your Assets: Give your mascot a costume, theme your packaging, or create a limited-edition product.
Think PR-First: The best campaigns are newsworthy enough that people and media outlets will talk about them for free, just like Burger King’s scary clown.
Peer into the crystal ball for the future of marketing
Digital marketing is ever-evolving, with new social media channels, new forms of searching for content and updates to algorithms and consumer changes. It’s important to stay up to date with the latest information to ensure your marketing is moving towards hitting your goals and targets.
There’s a lot to keep up with in marketing, which is why we offer a range of online and face-to-face marketing training courses and 1-2-1 consultancy packages that cover the latest trends and best practices that your organisation needs in order to succeed.
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