Halloween 2024—how candy makers and other brands are celebrating

Plenty of brands are embracing the Halloween spirit this year, from Dunkin and Uber to Fiverr and more. Even an agency, McCann New York, is getting spooky for Thursday’s holiday. Below, a look at how all of the above and more are activating for Halloween. But first, an Ad Age Halloween poem to get you into the spirit: When Halloween looms and the night grows cold, Brands and advertisers turn frightfully bold. Goblins and ghouls fill every ad space, As they fiendishly work to give shoppers a chase. They fill up their stores with ghosts and witches In hopes of selling to earn more riches. Ads hum and moan with jingles and tunes Of monstrous ghouls that rest in their tombs. A seasonal ritual that happens each fall The most terrifying holiday of them all. Amid the dark and eerie displays, “It’s fun, fear sells!” an exec exclaims. So when you go out on Halloween night Remember the brands that gave you a fright. Happy Halloween! Also read: The top 5 creative campaigns from the past week Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here Airheads “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat,” goes the familiar Halloween refrain. Airheads is now making the “smell my feet” part of that demand less scary with a cherry-scented foot spray. Almond Breeze A series of comic videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels tout almond milk as “scary good” for your bones, featuring skeleton influencers attempting a TikTok dance, clowning around the breakfast table, filming a GRWM video and more. McKinney led creative. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Almond Breeze (@almondbreeze) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Almond Breeze (@almondbreeze) Aviation Gin Ryan Reynolds celebrated Negroni Week by bantering with Tony O’Groni, a jack-o’-lantern scarecrow mascot, in an Aviation Gin spot. Boost Mobile The wireless carrier tells an animated fable of Hell Phone Bills, which bring chaos to a small town—until the resident decide to say RIP to overpaying for their phone plans. The spot was made in-house along with animation company Mippi. Channel 4 To promote its new zombie drama “Generation Z,” the U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 launched several unsettling ads mirroring the show’s theme: that infected elderly boomer zombies get a taste for Gen Z meat, sparking an intergenerational culture clash. In-house agency 4Creative created the work. Clash Royale The Supercell game created a horror short with David New York and director Kelsey Taylor, where the concept is that dying in the game means you die for real, too. Also: How brands celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month Dietz & Watson Dietz & Watson has brought back the ghastly gourmand character first played by Vincent Pastore in 2021. This time, the Gabaghoul is played by Steve Schirripa (“The Sopranos,” “Blue Bloods”) in four comedic spots by Red Tettemer O'Connell & Partners, a Mod Op company. The brand will also feature foodies and recipe creators and influencers, such as New York-based Cugine, on social. Dunkin’ A Halloween-themed donut made in the shape of a spider took over Dunkin’s Instagram account last week. “Spidey d” took over social with some unhinged posts riddled with sexual innuendos and jokes characteristic of “shit posting.” The chaotic posts were a hit online, drawing responses from brands including Pop-Tarts, Oreos, Outback, Pringles, QVC, Cheez-Its, Smarties and more. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dunkin’ (@dunkin) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dunkin’ (@dunkin) Fiverr Fiverr is shining a spotlight on “doomed” corner shops that struggle to survive with a Halloween spot created by True Twins, freelance artists directly from its platform. The ad features a fictional city inspired by “Batman” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” inviting viewers to help local shops by tagging them in Fiverr’s Retail Graveyard social posts to win $5,000 in credits to work with freelancers. Geico A decade after Geico’s “Horror Movie” spot first aired, the brand is enjoying its staying power and running it again this year. Ad Age’s Tim Nudd caught up with the agency and client to hear about the making of the ad, which has become a modern advertising classic. Hershey Kit Kat and Reese’s, two Hershey Co. candy brands, teamed up to design the Trick-or-Treatable Costume, a giant candy bowl that lets you simultaneously dress up for Halloween and hand out candy. Kraft Natural Cheese Here’s a costume we weren’t expecting. This Halloween, cheese lovers can dress up as Kraft Grated Parmesan. The brand is giving away 10 costumes on Instagram, each with a hat resembling the top of a Kraft Grated Parmesan can and a T-shirt with its logo. Winners will also receive a “generous supply” of Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tara Panasiuk (@the_magnolia_mercantile) McCann New York As a Halloween passion project, McCann Design developed spooky looking typeface called “Boodoni.” Three different weights include “Spooked,” “Frightened” and “Terrified.” The font, perfect for ghostwriters, is open-source and available for download. McCann says that with Boodoni, you “won’t just be writing, you’ll be spilling your guts.” Therefore, writers are encouraged to “download it faster than a bat out of hell and try using it to talk about the skeletons in your closet. Or to play devil’s advocate. Or to open up about something that’s been haunting you. Because no matter what you’re working on, Boodoni is one hell of a good typeface to use.” NYX Professional Makeup The makeup brand brought back “Who Stole Halloween?” again this year, featuring some of reality TV’s notorious “baddies,” including Nene Leakes, DJ Pauly D, Cely Vazquez and more. For this year’s campaign, celebrity makeup artist Mimi Choi is transforming reality stars into some of the most iconic criminal personas using NYX products. A reality-TV-inspired series running on social stars the mischievous cast, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot. Each episode includes clues pointing to the villain who stole Halloween, prompting fans to vote for the chance to win $10,000. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NYX Professional Makeup (@nyxcosmetics) Opendoor In Opendoor’s Halloween spot, a vampire peers out her window to see her neighbor growing garlic. Realizing its time to move, she swiftly sells her home on Opendoor to avoid the neighborly nuisance. The ad communicates to homeowners that any time—and any reason—is a good one to move. Duo Sean and Ryan Mcllraith directed. VaynerMedia led creative. Pinterest x Maybelline L’Oréal’s Maybelline partnered with Pinterest to create costume tutorials inspired by trends released in Pinterest’s 2024 Halloween trend report. Influencers from Maybelline’s network are creating looks from soft vampire makeup to gold medal athletes and pop star icons. Reddit Reddit partnered with the moderators of r/NoSleep and SiriusXM to source scary stories from users. The top stories will have the chance to be featured on Reddit-branded segments on SiriusXM’s Scream radio channel through Oct. 31. Samuel Adams The brewer’s limited-edition At-Home Séance Kit is designed for beer lovers looking to summon the founding father. Each kit features all the elements needed to conduct a séance at home, including a card with step-by-step instructions for how to summon his spirit. The kit also includes a Sam Adams portrait, a vial of Boston dirt, a vial of Samuel Adams hops, two pint glasses that reveal a spooky illusion when cold beer is served and a Samuel Adams Octoberfest candle. In addition, Sam Adams created a limited-edition Hide & Shriek Prank Pack for its Angry Orchard brand—anyone who cracks open a can hears a blood-curdling scream instead of a fizz. Six Flags In “Tick. Tick. Tick,” a five-minute short film by agency TMA, four housemates are haunted by a malevolent clown. Throughout the film, the clown appears during a series of paranormal activities directly after a Six Flags gold pass appears. The campaign builds on the parks’ seasonal “Fear is waiting” message with more urgency: “Don’t keep fear waiting.” Smarties Smarties has launched “Sweet Switch” to help ensure no child misses out on trick-or-treating or Halloween candy due to food allergies or dietary restrictions. Through the program, kids can trade in their allergy-prone Halloween candy for Smarties, inspired by the Teal Pumpkin Project. Snickers The Mars candy brand welcomed the M&M’s characters into its Halloween universe for the first time earlier this month in a 15-second spot from BBDO New York. Pete Marquis directed. Snyder’s of Hanover The pretzel brand is scaring people into pairing salty pretzels with sweet candy through a creepy yet comical character called Pretzelface, a misunderstood Halloween figure who “reverse trick-or-treats” by delivering pretzels to homes. State Farm Highdive made an entertaining State Farm spot with a spooky ghost who’s offended when a couple describes a tree falling on their house as a “nightmare.” Jim Jenkins directed. Tourism Ireland Tourism Ireland kicked off the Halloween season in September with a spooktacular campaign from Publicis London that harked back to Halloween’s roots in the ancient traditions of Ireland. The 60-second hero film depicts the frightening holiday’s origin. Uber The ride-hailing company is delivering costumes, makeup and decorations from Spirit Halloween, the retailer known for popping up in abandoned storefronts each Halloween season across North America. Uber Eats also released multiple comical spots that suggest nothing is scarier on Halloween than running out of candy. Urban Stems Urban Stems released a Halloween capsule collection featuring bouquets delivered in jet black boxes and adorned with “killer compliments.” The “Kill Them With Kindness” bouquets are meant to bring Halloween drama and sinister elegance into people’s homes with dark and moody floral arrangements. Voices Voiceover marketplace Voices launched a campaign that lets the public choose the voiceover for its Halloween-themed sizzle reel. Those who vote can win a voiceover worth up to $300 toward their next project. The contest is taking place on the brand’s Instagram and features five spooky auditions from voiceover talent on the platform. Welch’s Fruit Snacks Everyone knows the best Halloween house is the one handing out the most candy or the biggest treats. Welch’s Fruit Snacks aims to help families reach “MVP” status by giving away full-size Welch’s Juicefuls Monster Splash fruit snacks. It’s also offering a real Trick-or-Treat Butler to help hand out candy. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here

Halloween 2024—how candy makers and other brands are celebrating

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