Like Christmas, for example, Halloween has its place in the world of marketing. Of course, this is especially true in Anglo-Saxon countries, where the original Celtic holiday has remained a tradition to this day. But it is also celebrated in Japan, Sweden and Latin America, for example.
It was in Latin America, specifically Brazil, that Heinz launched a campaign in October promoting black garlic mayonnaise in the spirit of the old black and white horror films. Details of the campaign can be found in this article.
Monster Menu at Burger King
But there are many campaigns that have been created for the Haunted Feast, and many of them resonate with people. Even big brands like Burger King are choosing Halloween-themed spots. On the occasion of the holiday, which falls on the last day of October, Burger King created two spots in collaboration with the American agency BarkleyOKRP.
The two spots entice customers with a special Monster menu. The first one shows a family enjoying a menacing menu at dinner, but is spotted by a family of three vampires who don't find their jokes about nuggets shaped like vampire teeth all that funny. Then, in the second spot, a family of mummies orders the Monster menu at the drive-in.
The hunt for the sweet
The M&M's chocolate candy brand didn't work with a new product concept, it became straight part of the "trick or treat" or carols that inherently belong to the holiday. Children dressed as ghosts and monsters go around houses scavenging for candy, which is somewhat of a problem for the animated chocolates in one of M&M's two Halloween spots.
The second spot, titled Horrific & Delicious, then tells the tale of candy horror.
All of the spots play with the idea of togetherness, the disunity that is inherent in the holidays - Burger King offers a family Monster menu for "families of all kinds", while M&M's complements the spots with the claim "It's better together".
"Welcome them back"
In addition to the Halloween holiday, the American candy brand Sweethearts has also introduced an original concept linked to the unfortunate trend of today. The heart-shaped candies are particularly well-known in connection with another American holiday, namely Valentine's Day.
In collaboration with the Tombras agency, the company has launched a limited edition "Ghosted Sweethearts". These are completely white sweets without inscriptions, which symbolise the silence after 'ghosting', a situation where someone suddenly cuts off communication without a word. In the spot promoting the Halloween-themed product, the new sweets are represented by a ghost.
"Did you die of a broken heart too?" asks the "ghosted" lady. "No. Witch hunt. Burned at the stake," the ghost replies. "Right, right," nods the lady.
But of course, Halloween campaigns aren't just about spots. Fanta, for example, introduced limited-edition horror bottles back in August in partnership with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse. The new campaign features the legendary Chucky, Freddy Fazbear (Five Nights at Freddy's 2), the terrifying The Grabber (Black Telephone 2) and the mesmerising M3gan doll (M3GAN 2.0).
You can read more about the campaign in this article.
Halloween Resurrection
Halloween also includes the reanimation of the dead. That's what fruit candy brand Gusher is betting on, reviving a legendary and, for many, terrifying 1990s ad called Fruithead.
Working with agency BarkleyOKRP and production company Imagine Entertainment, the company turned the original spot into a short horror film. It starred Bradley Whitford, known from many Hollywood films, and creator Chester Collins. The film follows the story of the actor from the original commercial who was once cursed and thus must live a life with a fruit head. Years later, he returns to seek revenge on the director who "created" him this way.
The spot, directed by Mike Diva, uses the film's '90s horror aesthetic and ironically connects the original commercial to this year's holiday.
Source: mam.cz