Halloween is just around the corner and it’s set to be the biggest one yet!
Although Halloween is predominantly a big event in the US, it looks like Halloween is consistently gaining more popularity in the UK every year. According to the Mintel Seasonal Shopping report, around half of British consumers bought something Halloween related last year. A deeper look shows that sweets and chocolate are the biggest sellers when it comes to Halloween, followed by costumes and decorations. It’s not only costumes that are growing, but cosmetic sales too, which have risen to £86 million last year compared to £63 million the year before.
In addition, Mintel reports that one in five of us now decorate our homes and gardens for Halloween as we look to spruce up our personal surroundings for seasonal events. But most importantly, food and drink play a significant role as 12% of the total Halloween spend in 2018 were reported to be from the food and drink category, reaching a total of £86 million.
Seasonal events are a key marketing opportunity brands, and many are coming up with crafty ways to get you to purchase their products with the latest Halloween campaigns – so here’s some that we like so far:
Skittles
Skittles have turned their much-loved sweets into Zombie Skittles. These temptingly terrifying sweets include five delicious flavours and one rotten flavour to share, giving customers the opportunity to challenge themselves to try out something that can be a potential “trick” or “treat” – evoking the curiosity and daring nature of us all.
Fanta
Fanta continues to focus on Halloween themed packaging designs which was linked to last year’s sale growth of 23% in convenience stores. This year if you purchase a bottle, you can scan it through Snapchat which unlocks a selection of spooky filters. Combining physical and digital elements to the campaign which makes it more interactive.
Starbucks
Starbucks have launched a new black ‘Phantom’ Frappuccino to be sold over the Halloween period, which is the first ever black beverage to be released from the brand. The freakish looking drink appears to be a trick at first sight, but the idea is that they will get a pleasant and surprising treat when they taste the fruity flavours of the drink.
Poundland
This is one for any Harry Potter fans out there – Poundland is selling Harry Potter invisibility cloaks displayed on a hanger with a tag saying “Halloween Invisibility Cloak FREE” as part of their largest ever Halloween range. Causing a fuss about the range, amused customers have taken to social media to joke about the cloak and praise the company’s marketing efforts.
Our consumer lifestyle PR team specialises in connecting everyday brands with everyday people across four core sectors; Consumer Lifestyle PR, Food PR, Retail PR and Sport, Health & Wellbeing PR. More information on these areas of knowledge can be found at www.escapadepr.com/about-us.
