The spookiest season of the year is upon us. And, as a creative agency, is there any better way to celebrate All Hallows Eve than by doffing the ol’ alewife’s hat* to the brands that nailed their Halloween campaigns?
*it’s a witches hat you uncultured swine.
The answer is no. There isn’t any better way. So, kick back, take a slurp of your pumpkin spiced latte you basic-Halloween-loving-bishes and enjoy our selection of spook-tactular, ad campaigns that really did kill it.
Name me a condiment that’s been used to fool more parents, I’ll wait. That’s right, tomato ketchup is the OG prop for feigning ghastly injuries since the dawn of time. You could say, ketchup and Halloween are a match made in…well…hell.
So, it is no surprise that in 2021, Heinz rebranded with a limited edition ‘Tomato Blood’. It’s the same old recipe we all know and love, rebranded with a new creepy label. Simple, effective and bloomin’ genius. Heinz didn’t stop there either; the campaign also included a Los Angeles pop-up store where visitors could make their own costumes using the fake blood – making things deliciously immersive. Bravo Heinz, bravo.
You either love it or hate it right? Well back in 2018, Marmite played on this old adage by releasing two limited edition jars – one for the lovers, the other for the h8rs. The campaign went down a storm on social, and fans rushed in their zombie-esque flocks to grab their preferred jar.
The campaign was such a success Marmite have continued to release the limited edition jars every October since 2018. You can now even get them in-store at your local (boujie) Sainsburys.
3. Skittles – Rotten Zombie Flavour
Trick or treating is the BIG draw of Halloween, AMIRIGHT? (*ignores the silent sobs of terrorised neighbours*). So of course, it’s a no-brainer for confectionary brands to get involved in this unholiest of nights. In 2019, Skittles, whose tagline is ‘taste the rainbow’ launched a limited-edition flavour hidden in its Halloween packs – Rotten Zombie.
The somewhat nicer freaky flavours included Mummified Melon and Blood Red Berry but hidden within each pack was a repulsive Rotten Zombie flavour (tasty hey).
The brand went a step further too. They used influencer marketing to stir up a social media frenzy and the product went viral. Followers rushed out to see how gross the flavour was. Taste tests and product reviews ensued. The #DareTheRainbow campaign trended, resulting in 1.4 million impressions on social media.
That’s some scarily good stats…for Skittles!
We can’t be the only ones who’d love the marketing budget to produce and direct a parody ad of ‘The Shining’. Well, if you’re in the IKEA marketing department, you do in fact have the funds it seems…
In 2014, IKEA Singapore recreated the infamous tricycle scene with a less sinister ending. The commercial promoted late-night shopping, complete with eerie sound effects and nods to the much-maligned and parodied 1970s classic.
Ikea, we bow to your ingenuity and remain eternally jealous of your bottomless marketing budget.
All in all, holidays like Halloween present great opportunities to leverage the buzz surrounding a seasonal event and use it to influence your marketing campaigns.
So, if you’d like to discuss how our team at Pistachio can help restructure your digital marketing strategy to include seasonal marketing, we’d love to have a chat.
Feel free to drop us a message here , and one of our team will get back to you shortly.
