As the air gets crisp and leaves start to change colours, marketers prepare for one of the most exciting times of the year - Halloween.
Spooky season is not just for kids and costume enthusiasts, it’s a significant opportunity for businesses to engage with their audience and boost their sales through spooktacular campaigns and we love to see it. As Halloween is now a week away, we’ve written about some of our favourite recent campaigns below.
Beth’s Pick – Lego Building Nightmares
This Halloween, Lego has unveiled some spooky (but funny) posters illustrating some of the ‘building nightmares’ of their bricks. Many people know too well how much it hurts when you step on a forgotten brick with bare feet, or when you just can’t pull those two bricks apart, no matter how strong you or your nails are. They are definitely the stuff of nightmares, and these posters play on those frustrations perfectly. Having a jab at their own product is comical but confident, and Lego has pulled it off brilliantly!
Caroline’s pick – Stranger Things
Who can forget the latest season of Stranger Things? It had it all, including the revival of Kate Bush Running Up That Hill which swiftly became a TikTok trend. Speaking of TikTok, last year a couple, who describe themselves as “home haunters” and go all out with Halloween decorations every year, went viral for their very impressive Halloween decorations featuring Max floating mid-air, just like she did in the show. The spooky decoration received over 13 million views.
Chris’s Pick – The Thing
Halloween always means an influx of new horror films and with that the release of their posters. Film posters don’t carry the weight that they used to due to the introduction of streaming and how we consume movies, but they are such an important artform and can sometimes out shire the films themselves.
When I think about film posters and the designers and artists behind them, there is one name that will always be at the top of the list, Drew Struzan. Drew created the artwork for pretty much every film I love, Star Wars, The Goonies, Indiana Jones and Back To The Future to name a few. When it comes to horror film posters, one stands above all others, The Thing. The original poster is created such a stir when introduced and still stands up today.
Ellen’s pick – IKEA gets spooky
IKEA have launched a new (and first ever!) Halloween collection and have clearly had loads of fun with it. The copy on their website is on point (personal faves are ‘welcome to my lair’ and ‘trick or treat yo’self’). And as always, they give you tons of inspiration on how to use their products to create your own spooky set up at home. I like that they have examples for a full Halloween party as well as a more subtle approach! Might have to get myself along to IKEA for a browse…
Henry’s pick – Burger King The Call
Burger King is taking a thrilling journey back in time with their latest campaign, aptly titled ‘The Call.’ This deliciously eerie campaign pays homage to retro cult horror classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jeepers Creepers, delivering a spine-tingling cinematic experience that’s sure to leave you craving both burgers and chills. In line with their recent success with a nostalgic Stranger Things-themed rebrand, Burger King is seamlessly blending pop culture references with their mouth-watering offerings. ‘The Call’ is more than just a burger ad; it’s a nostalgia-fuelled adventure that promises to captivate the horror fan in all of us.
Laura’s pick – Heinz Tomato Blood
This Halloween, Heinz has acknowledged that they are the condiment of the spooky season, with the release of limited edition “Tomato Blood” ketchup. Earlier this year, Heinz posted that they’d be going as themselves this Halloween, and they’ve delivered! They also launched a limited edition “Tomato Blood Costume Kit” which featured a sheet of temporary tattoos, a makeup pallet, vampire teeth and rhinestones. I really like this campaign as it acknowledges the fact that so many people use ketchup as fake blood every Halloween, I know I definitely did when I was a kid. The limited edition bottle will also fit in very well at all upcoming Halloween parties, so it’s a win-win.
Need help with campaign ideas?
Feel free to get in touch, we can help with ideation for campaigns for all seasons!