Frighteningly Good Halloween Marketing

Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve) originated over 2,000 years ago from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where people would traditionally light bonfires and wear disguises to ward off malevolent spirits. 

Old traditions and practices evolved into modern Halloween activities including trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins and getting dressed up in scary (or increasingly not to scary) costumes. 

In recent years, Halloween has increased exponentially in popularity, with many businesses citing that they now make more money from Halloween themed events and products than they do during the Christmas season. Instead of celebrating solely on the 31st, many people now engage in Halloween-related activities such as watching scary movies or attending Halloween parties across the whole of October. 

The rising popularity presents an unmissable opportunity for businesses to capitalise on the event, and this includes marketing agencies. Here are some of our favourite Halloween marketing campaigns from recent years that you can take inspiration from: 

IKEA’s ‘Monsters Not Included’ Campaign 

In 2023, IKEA launched the ‘Monsters Not Included’ campaign in collaboration with renowned advertising agency Ogilvy (UK and Germany divisions). 

IKEA played on the classic concern of many children, that there are monsters hiding around their house – under beds, behind curtains or inside wardrobes. 

The campaign featured a series of adverts, using classic horror movie tropes including unsettling music, fear of the dark and build-up of tension before a grand reveal, in which the lights are switched on to unveil a neatly organised cupboard or an empty space beneath a bed – no monsters in sight.

The ads served as seasonal self-promotion, whilst reassuring IKEA’s young customers that IKEA furniture is free of monsters and safe. 

Heinz ‘Tomato Blood’ Campaign 

You might have memories from being a kid that involve using tomato ketchup as blood (don’t worry, we do too), and that is exactly what Heinz were banking on with this campaign. Without changing their actual product, they simply underwent a temporary Halloween-esque rebrand, labelling the classic ketchup bottle as ‘Tomato Blood’. This clever move aimed to build on the existing behaviour of consumers using tomato ketchup as fake blood, rather than trying to alter consumer behaviour. 

In 2022, the campaign ran alongside a successful advert which featured a TikTok star as Toby, a vegetarian vampire, who drinks Heinz Tomato Blood instead of feasting on humans. The use of a young, popular TikTok creator exposed the brand to a younger audience and capitalised on the trust and influence that this creator has with his audience. 

Heinz offered a run of ‘Tomato Blood Costume Kits’, which included makeup, brushes, glitter decorations and temporary tattoos alongside a bottle of the sauce. 

This is a fantastic campaign which demonstrated that Heinz really understood their audience and the multi-purpose usage of their produce, delivered with sharp branding and comedy.

Burger King’s ’The Call’ Campaign

Back in 2023, Burger King released a short film in the form of an advert titled ‘The Call’. This ad used elements from classic horror movies to advertise the return of the Ghost Pepper Whopper and to introduce the new Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries – aptly launched in time for Halloween. 

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon of American Horror Story, the short film paid homage to classic 90’s and early 2000’s horror movies/tropes (think Scream and The Ring), portraying a young woman who is home alone when she receives a mysterious phone call stating “It’s back, it’s coming for you.” She gets in her car and is continually tormented by calls and by speakers on the radio until she arrives at her destination, where a levitating Ghost Pepper Whopper and Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries possess her. 

The end of the ad showcased a website which viewers could visit and experience a personalised automated phone call like the woman in the advert, drawing in an interactive element for consumers to integrate themselves in the world of the Ghost Pepper. 

The launch of the short film featured hand-drawn retro horror movie posters which were distributed across social media platforms and placed in movie theatres, fostering a real retro-Halloween feel for consumers. 

Key Takeaways 

• Show your audience that you really understand them (think using ketchup as fake blood) 
• It doesn’t need to be complicated. You can play on classic Halloween tropes like monsters under the bed and fear of the dark 
• People are drawn to nostalgia and familiarity. Taking inspiration from classic traditions or movies/TV shows will entice your audience to engage with your content
• Consumers enjoy getting involved – use interactive marketing to your advantage