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Brands Embrace Halloween Hijinks for Spooky Season
Latest additions: Disney, Mini, Capri Sun, M&Ms
Brands are rising to the fright-filled occasion ahead of All Hallow’s Eve. Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite creepfests so far. We’ll update this selection as more campaigns stalk the night.
UPDATED OCT. 21 …
Disney+’s annual “Huluween” gets you sinking into your chair from fright—literally. Created by Callen and furniture design manufacturer Fyrn, “EDGEOFYØR Seat” features a masked man who admires the work he’s done on a chair “with over 80 percent of the seat severed and hacked away,” leaving everyone left on the edge.
MINI gets a Halloween makeover by dressing up as a Waymo. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created “Elloween”—showing that “nothing is scarier than ghosting on driving.” In contrast, taking the wheel of a Mini is “way more fun” than getting a lift from a ghost. READ MORE
Heinz moves away from its blood-colored condiment to emphasize a limited-time black garlic mayo. “Mayo Halloween,” created by DAVID São Paulo, embraces a creepy, dark aesthetic, paying homage to vintage horror films.
Gushers brings back its ’90s “Fruitheads” initiative, this time as a horror short—indeed, a new nightmare. In partnership with Imagine Entertainment, the spot represents the ultimate psychological snack thriller. READ MORE.
Church’s Chicken just launched “Chick or Treat” meal deals. Each week, the fast-feeder offers a different “terrifyingly terrific” taste—like bone-in wings. It’s spooktacular.
William H. Macy appears as a medical examiner at the morgue saving bones for Clash Royale’s “Skeleton Army.” The ad, by Uncommon Stockholm, urges organ donation. It serves as both game branding and a call to action to save lives. READ MORE.
Cheetos brings bliss to The Addams Family’s Thing this Halloween. When a vending machine turns up in town, the hand maestro gets inventive at finding a way to (finally) open a bag of the cheesy delights. READ MORE.
Six Flags gets scarily close to horror movies by adding “real-life jolts in scare zones and haunted mazes.” TMA went for thrills and chills with Smiley, a 7-foot tall face-stealing woodland freak in the clip below. READ MORE
Jack in the Box brings back the ’80s arcade feel in an in-app game, “DealQuest.” Created by TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A., the campaign unlocks codes for seasonal Monster Munchie Meals—but beware, Jack Box bites back! READ MORE.
Xfinity creates a Frankenstein monster with refined tastes—alas, the mad scientist fails to teach him anything at all. Goodby Silverstein & Partners made a creature that learns the ways of (high) living by binging NBCUniversal content. Salut! READ MORE.
Hatch created a scary good horror trailer, “Goodnight Phone” which masquerades, fittingly, as an ad campaign. The faux horror film was created in-house by a team comprised solely of women. It follows scream queen du jour Kiernan Shipka as she doomscrolls amid hair-raising moments (like being haunted by a terrifying doppelgänger).
Step aside New Kids on the Block, and make room for the Very Big Sour Patch Kid handing out bags of the beloved Mondelēz candy. DAVID Miami created a 15-foot inflatable Kid and stocked select homes with 20,000 bags of treats in secret. So if you see it, don’t flee in fear
Cutwater has a “real spirits inside” campaign that showcases the brand’s actual spirits, like tequila, vodka, rum, gin and whiskey. A contest gives folks the chance to win an overnight stay at Cleveland’s Franklin Castle, which they say is haunted (so spirits abound!).
M&M’s get an angry mob going when Trick-Or-Treaters discover no one refilled the bowl. BBDO created the “Refill” spot, which sees the Mars Wrigley confectioner’s Halloween Rescue Squad offer free candy bowl “top-ups” for the third year in a row\
Capri Sun serves up “Trick & Treat” this year, with a limited-edition trick pouch that looks exactly like the regular one, but is heat sealed from the inside making it impossible to pierce. Mischief created the, well, mischievous pouch–Muhhh huaaaaah!
