Spooktacular Halloween marketing campaigns
Dee Overfield - 21 October 2020
We’re approaching that time of year when the pumpkins are making an appearance and we’re ready for Halloween!
With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and, of course, Christmas on the horizon, Halloween is the first chance to kickstart your holiday marketing and get ready for the biggest and busiest months of the year.
Let’s take a look at some of the best Halloween marketing campaigns over the years to get some fang-tastic inspiration.
Dunkin Donut’s Halloween costume competition
Last year, Dunkin Donut’s really made the most of user-generated content in their Halloween campaign on Instagram.
They gave their followers the chance to win a massive $500 and a year’s worth of Dunkin’ coffee. All they had to do was follow their Instagram account and tag them in a photo of their Dunkin’-inspired Halloween costume using the hashtag #DunkinDressUpContest.
This campaign was a huge success, attracting their customers’ attention on social media and beyond in order to boost brand awareness.
Why not put your own spin on a Halloween competition this year?
Consider hosting an interactive competition on your social platforms to encourage your followers to produce their own content. Which of your followers has the best Halloween costume? Who has the most creative pumpkin carving skills? And who has the spookiest Halloween makeup?
Share it on your story as well so your followers can see what you’re up to in real-time and get involved.
Burger King’s scary clown night
Back in 2017, Burger King produced a somewhat creepy, yet memorable, ad that engaged with customers across the globe and drove traffic to their restaurants, with the first 500 customers to come into store dressed as a clown on October 31st receiving a free Whooper.
With the tagline ‘Come as a clown, eat like a king’, the campaign trolled Mcdonald’s famous mascot, Ronald the clown, and took viewers on a journey full of classic horror movie references.
Check out their video below, if you dare!
Marks and Spencer’s Frankencolin
This year, M&S have given their iconic Colin the Caterpillar a seriously spooky makeover…meet Frankencolin!
Pumpkin spiced lattes? Ghost and bat-themed cupcakes? Putting a seasonal spin on your food and drink products in the build-up to Halloween is a great way to get your customers excited about the limited-edition product you’re offering.
Remember, word of mouth can be a great tool to market your brand and limited-edition Halloween themed products are sure to get your customers talking.
Urban Decay’s Halloween makeup inspiration
This year, Urban Decay is bringing their followers out-of-this-world makeup inspiration, perfect for virtual Halloween parties.
Using the hashtag, #UDHalloween, they’re sharing photos and videos of some amazing Halloween-inspired makeup looks, along with the Urban Decay products used so that followers can recreate the looks themselves.
Similarly, last year the makeup brand utilised influencer marketing and user-generated content in a series of ‘How to’ Halloween makeup tutorials, giving their customers the opportunity to follow along with some easy to replicate looks.
Our key takeaways for your Halloween marketing campaign
- Utilise user-generated content
- Consider hosting a Halloween competition or giveaway
- Use a Halloween hashtag across your social media channels to connect with your followers and spread the word
- Diversify your product or service offering in line with all things Halloween
- Decorate your store, social media accounts and website with spook-tastic imagery and Halloween colour themes
- Remember to think outside the box; creativity is key
Halloween provides a marketing opportunity ‘to die for’! What are your marketing plans for Halloween this year?
If you’re looking for a helping hand to bring this year’s Halloween marketing campaign to life, the team at Wagada are happy to help. Get in touch today.
