Surprise and fright: How brands celebrated Halloween this year

Much like choosing a costume, Halloween campaigns can be masterfully executed or miss the mark. So which ones were delightfully frightful, and which ones were boo-ring?

Here are some of the ways brands celebrated spooky season this year:

• M&Ms created a “Halloween Rescue Squad” with instant-delivery company GoPuff to replenish low candy stocks within an hour for free on Halloween. The brand also worked with influencers like @jjniemann to promote its Ghoul Mix starting last month.
• Twix created an ad to promote its “Ghoulish Green” candy variation that’s running on TV and online.
• Uber Eats partnered with Hollywood studios to create promo codes based on horror movie taglines. Those who guess correctly get a discount on Halloween candy, costumes, and more.
• Angel Soft is running a costume contest based on the concept of toilet-paper mummies.
• Streamers like Paramount+ worked with influencers to promote their Halloween show and movie offerings.
• Hulu, on the other hand, did an IRL activation in LA—a haunted house based on some of the horror programming it’s streaming, like American Horror Story and Goosebumps.
• Disney+ partnered with Fresh Sends to create a “HallowSend” gift box that includes flowers and a Disney+ gift card.
• Pop-Tarts worked with Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken to make a Halloween ad that’s running on TV and online.
• Jack in the Box made a short horror film, Feeding Time, to promote its Angry Monster Tacos.
• Burger King also made a horror short, The Call, to promote its Ghost Pepper Whopper.
• Airheads asked people to create “spooky but fun” films using AI as part of its “Scarefest” filmmaking contest.
• Rimmel London ran an influencer campaign on Halloween makeup tutorials.
• The Inkey List did the opposite: showing influencers taking off their Halloween makeup to promote its skin-care products.

Back again: Spirit Halloween partnered with brands like Shake Shack, Barbie, and Butterfinger throughout the month. Much like the brand’s physical locations, these promotions will soon be but a memory…until next year.

+1: Maybe this isn’t exactly Halloween related, but it has witchy vibes: Jaffa Cakes recruited Bonnie Tyler, singer of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” for a video on eclipses…and cookies. The brand is also promoting its Jaffaween cakes on TikTok.