In the northern hemisphere, Halloween has consistently been a memorable and entertaining bridge to help us leave the post-summer blues in the past, as we pave the way to Christmas festivities. However, it’s become apparent that something spooky is occurring and a cultural shift means Halloween customs are mutating.
Although more widely embraced and celebrated in the US, the UK has become increasingly infected with the Halloween ‘fun bug’ over the years, reflected in the cobweb-covered shelves and skeletal frames draped decoratively over various aisles as we approach the end of October. And now this playful (if sinister) event has emerged as a fully-fledged funkified festival of fun.
It’s irrefutable that Halloween is becoming harder to ignore. Statista reports that 2023 retail expenditure on Halloween products in the UK reached £1,071million, a 55.9% from the previous year. It’s a seasonal moment with considerable strategic opportunity. To take advantage of this, businesses need to understand the behaviours and attitudes behind this spending boom. What is it about how Halloween is now perceived and celebrated that accounts for this sudden boom in consumer spending?
Orange is the New Black
While Christmas seems to remain largely unchanged year-on-year (red baubles, roast turkey, mince pies, Mariah Carey…), Halloween has proved a cultural chameleon, morphing to suit the zeitgeist. For this era this means a shift from superstition and enjoyable horror, towards self-expression, cultural creativity, and fun.
This transition has manifested in the rising adult participation in Halloween festivities, with more buying costumes and attending parties year-on-year. Though the decorations adorning doors and driveways scream, ‘run for cover’, the costumes rather say, ‘guess where you know me from?’ With access to social media for guidance on the latest trends, there is an underlying competition on who best can embody beloved characters or recreate a popular cultural moment. This is illustrated in the Sender.net findings, where 59% of TikTok users were influenced by the platform for Halloween costume purchases. Ranging from Mona Lisa doppelgangers to meme depictions, Halloween costumes provide an opportunity to showcase creativity and boost social cachet.
This evolution away from Halloween as a predominantly child orientated event to the involvement of young adults, shows the yearning for self-expression and collective cultural celebrations within this audience. A trend that Fanta has been quick to identify, capitalising on how Halloween compliments Fanta’s playful, optimistic brand persona. Rob Yeomans, Vice-President, Commercial Development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB said,“Halloween is one of the most important retail events in the calendar […] Fanta has become synonymous with Halloween, and [in 2022] contributed almost a third (31.6%) of total flavoured carbonates growth during Halloween”. This year, Fanta has launched a promotion to coincide with the release of the Beetlejuice film, set to become a Gen Z cult movie. Halloween edition Fanta cans featuring Beetlejuice characters give consumers a way to express their cultural interest and show their involvement in current popular trends through the minor subversion of a transformed design. In this way, Fanta are capitalising on Halloween as the perfect occasion for fun experimentation.
Connected to the idea of subverted brand codes and transformed packaging designs, is the possibility of disguise.
Common Conclusions across Cultures
While Halloween practices may present differently around the world, the underlying trend towards increased young adult frivolity still prevails.
Usually held on the last Sunday of October, the Kawasaki Halloween Parade in Japan began in the late ‘90s and continued to flourish in the years following. Originally about celebrating all things spooky, today the event is more Met Gala in nature, with an annual theme (e.g. cyberspace) and a cash prize for the best costume.
Another example can be drawn from Romania, which found itself thrust into the very fabric of Halloween. Due to film and TV depictions of legendary vampires originating from Transylvania and easy access to social media content depicting US Halloween celebrations, Romanians have begun to orchestrate epic costume parties such as the 7-day Halloween in Transylvania Tour at Bran Castle, featuring live bands and a concert vibe.
Why Should Brands Give a Boo?
Viewing Halloween through its mutations tells a tale of cultural need- from control over a troublesome spiritual world, to family fun, all the way to today’s mechanism for young adults to navigate identity and belonging in the advent of adulthood at a moment of latent financial independence. Understanding the nuances of this cultural function and the associated seasonal occasions will help drive successful strategy.
In the age of mass media, it is difficult to ignore the link between popular culture on a social level and creative expression at the individual level. There is an opportunity for marketers to tap into these aspirational desires by leveraging on the ‘spirit’ of Halloween. A useful example is Starbucks, whose seasonal pumpkin spice range does not have to be marketed as a specifically Halloween beverage for consumers to make the connection. Leaning on the nostalgia associated with Halloween to create a product which appeals to consumers looking to seasonally redefine themselves shows a sense of being in touch with consumers’ more implicit needs and wants.
Young consumers who are beginning to manage their own income yearn for deeper connection, meaning and cultural relevance than a draped cobweb can provide.
Fenty Beauty’s ‘Haunted House of Hawties’ campaign (2023) embraces the delicate tension of needing to belong to a community (to fit in) whilst being uniquely individual (to stand out). By providing inspirational Halloween makeup looks – each with their own persona, ranging from the Midnight Fairy to Roadhouse Zadddy – Fenty Beauty leverages Halloween’s association with dress up to encourage artistic self-expression and experimentation within socially acceptable parameters that are flattering and unproblematic. Fenty’s initiative demonstrates how Halloween provides opportunity for brands looking to connect with consumers on a personal level, whilst still appealing to the wider community through culturally relevant references.
Halloween is a socially unifying event that allows brands to express their uniqueness, intelligence, and humour whilst enabling consumers to do the same. The development of the carnival element means there’s exciting scope to explore a secondary identity, perhaps opening the door to new customer groups or occasions. Brands that understand Halloween’s particular relevance to young adults, have capitalised on the insight to deliver deeply resonating marketing initiatives. Afterall, creativity and ingenuity are the real magic of the season… (except for the actual magic of course).