A brand activation agency can support your success with customers throughout the year. But, with Halloween fast approaching, we thought we’d round up some brand activations that did well (treats) and those that fall more in the tricks category. Both can help your business understand what to do and how a brand activation agency can support positive change.
Whatever the time of year, brand activations can engage consumers, drive sales, build loyalty, and generate buzz. Whether it's a small in-store event or a large-scale digital campaign, activations allow brands to interact with their audience in ways that traditional advertising cannot. When done well, they leave lasting impressions that resonate long after the campaign has ended.
Let’s look first at Halloween-themed brand activations that stand out for crafting experiences and strategic marketing campaigns that have the ability to really make an impression.
Brand activation: The Treats
Successful Halloween brand activations tap into the holiday’s spooky, fun, and creative energy to connect with consumers. A brand activation agency can help you create memorable virtual events or immersive experiences. Here are some successful examples.
Fanta's "Summon What You Wanta"
Fanta regularly embraces Halloween. In recent years, it’s executed an augmented reality (AR) campaign with spooky filters and interactive experiences via Snapchat and Instagram.
This October Fanta is combining its brand’s story with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice using on-pack QR codes that can be scanned for access to exclusive physical and digital activations inspired by the film’s Afterlife. In Australia and select European markets, packaging will also use glow-in-the-dark technology.
Why it Works: Integrating AR provides customers with an immersive experience. As Michael Keaton’s creepy character has a cult following, the movie partnership can expand the activation’s reach beyond the tech-savvy, younger audiences excited to share their spooky experiences online.
Heinz's "Tomato Blood"
Ketchup is a familiar go-to when people need to mix up some fake blood for a costume or prank. Embracing this, in 2020 Heinz rebranded its ketchup as “Tomato Blood” and encouraged people to use it for their Halloween costumes.
The campaign included creative packaging and partnered with influencers to showcase gory Halloween looks using ketchup.
The campaign continued seasonally for a couple years. In 2022, the brand launched a vegetarian vampire, Toby, “on a mission to convert as many of his fellow vampires to enjoy Tomato Blood and, crucially, spare the necks of humans.” He appeared on social media platforms, in a movie preview, and on Twitch and Fandom.
Why it Worked: Heinz connected its brand’s identity directly to a central element of Halloween (blood and gore) in a fun and light-hearted way. The simplicity of the idea made it accessible and shareable. They continued to build on the idea with limited edition bottles and social content.
Hershey's "Trick-or-Treat Door”
During the pandemic, Halloween didn’t look the same. Hershey’s added an element of fun with a remote-controlled robotic door designed to tour neighborhoods and hand out king size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. All the participant needed to do was say “trick or treat.”
Kids would know it was coming because the activation appealed to multiple senses. Along with the obvious — taste — the 9-foot door came with smoke, lights, and a Halloween soundtrack.
Why it Worked: This approach to activating brands provided a safe, multi-sensory way for people to participate in Halloween festivities, while still delivering the excitement of getting candy. The project also maintained a connection with families during a difficult time.
Airbnb's Haunted Stays
Some people want to stay in a “scAirbnb.” The rental company has embraced this impulse for several years now by regularly curating haunted houses or spooky locations for people to rent during Halloween.
One year, they even offered a one-night stay at Dracula's castle in Transylvania, where guests were treated to a night of horror storytelling and themed experiences. In another campaign, eight hosts with haunted houses offered stays for $31 per night for the weekend following Halloween in 2019.
Why it Worked: Airbnb tapped into the thrill of haunted houses and offered novel experiences to build excitement and exclusivity. The novelty of staying in a "haunted" place during Halloween also attracts a lot of media attention.
Brand Activations are Tricky
Executing a brand activation is challenging. That’s evidenced by these Halloween activations that missed the mark due to challenges with execution, misjudgment of consumer sentiment, or simply not aligning with the holiday’s spirit. Here are some Halloween marketing campaigns that struggled to reach their goals.
DoorDash’s "Zombie Delivery"
The food delivery company in 2021 launched a Halloween campaign where “zombie” delivery drivers would deliver orders in full zombie makeup. Customers were encouraged to share their spooky delivery experiences on social media.
Yet the brand activation ran into several issues as some drivers didn’t want to participate and some customers didn’t know to expect the zombies.
What we learn: Execution is key. If the people delivering the experience (in this case, the delivery drivers) aren’t fully onboard or comfortable, it can lead to inconsistent and the possibility for negative customer experiences. A brand activation agency can ensure participants are properly trained and prepared.
Skittles’ Zombie Taste Campaign
There’s no shortage of Skittles flavors to try, but few people actually enjoyed trying the “rotten zombie” flavored candies the company released in 2019. Customers could be surprised with a “zombie” skittle in their pack, and few seemed delighted by the experience.
Online reviews included:
- “This is a funk that lasts.”
- “It tastes like Jalapeño peppers, garlic, and throw up."
- "It's like a rotten egg...but worse."
Creating a gross-out challenge linked to Halloween makes sense, but this one worked too well. Consumers have an overwhelmingly unpleasant experience. Instead of being seen as a fun game, the activation ruined the candy-eating experience for many.
What we learn: Balance in key. Developing a novel brand experience can drive engagement, but you don’t want to go so far that people are repulsed or alienated. This is especially true when your product is food.
Airhead’s Flavors Dental Floss
In 2022, Perfetti Van Melle, the maker of Airheads, gave away thousands of limited-edition, candy-flavored dental floss packs for dentists to give to kids coming to their homes at Halloween. They also had a dentist in a national ad campaign talking about his horrible experiences at Halloween after refusing to give out cool candy.
The campaign may have tried to do good by promoting dental hygiene around the time of year where we go all in on candy consumption. But, really, who wants to think about flossing while they are trick or treating?
What we learn: Aligning the activation and the brand is important. The concept—candy-flavored dental floss—missed because it took the joy out of the occasion.
Key Takeaways
These examples provide insights into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to capturing consumer attention. Lessons learned include:
- Leverage tradition: Halloween offers many touchpoints — costumes, trick-or-treating, horror themes — that brands can apply creatively.
- Employ technology: Successful activations increasingly use a strategic approach with AR and VR to engage with younger, digital-forward audiences.
- Make it shareable: Encourage social media posts to increase the potential of your brand’s spooky experiences going viral.
- Consider context: Social issues, health concerns, and timing are crucial factors that can determine whether a marketing campaign is perceived as fun or tone-deaf.
- Use humor and novelty with purpose: Balancing spooky and fun — without going too dark — can see rewards. But don’t go too gimmicky or try to force a connection.
- Ensure execution matches the vision: Overly ambitious activations (like DoorDash’s Zombie Delivery) require seamless execution. If employees or participants aren’t fully engaged, the campaign will fall flat.
Brand Activation Services that Work
Brand activations — at any time of year — need to demonstrate creativity and authenticity. Proper timing is also critical to ensure that the activation is relevant and stands out. The right experiential marketing agency can bring your campaign to life.
Whether brand activation goal is increasing awareness, engagement, or loyalty, our creative team and strategic experts can work with you to develop fresh ways to engage with your target audience. Contact our brand activation agency to talk about your activation goals!