Happy Halloween! Ghosts and ghouls, monsters and vampires, creepies and crawlies….these are what we think of on Halloween Night. But who is the real star of the evening? CANDY, lots and lots of candy! And candy brands have only stepped up their game more and more each year.
One of the most notable commercials of the Halloween holiday is Snickers’ horseless headsman. This commercial is so successful, the Mars company has been running it for two years now.
KitKat is another major candy that has taken a lead in Halloween commercials. Using it’s clever jingle, the KitKat team shows an average Halloween evening full of trick or treating and even the adults enjoying the candy as much as the kids.
But what does this all mean? Ghoulies, candy, commercials, oh my! According to a recently released study from the International Council of Shopping Centers, almost 75 % of US households are planning to spend money on candy, costumes, and other Halloween-related items. A hauntingly large number is estimated to be spent on the holiday this year – around $11.3 billion.
Holy Halloween Batman! Many speculate that the increase in spending this year is due to Halloween landing on a Friday. As an agency that deals with online marketing and analysis, we know just how much the day of the week can affect the success or failure of a marketing campaign. Candy companies across the nation know this as well and have seen the increase in candy and Halloween purchases (approximately $120 per household).
Another factor may be that Halloween and the holiday products keep creeping and crawling earlier into the year. Many noticed Halloween items popping up in August in major retailers like WalMart and Target. The longevity of a campaign can also be a factor of the increase in sales of Halloween products over the years.
Boo! Another surprise for you! Many companies outside the candy/holiday business are hopping on the Halloween bandwagon as well. Cliff Bar released a Full Moon Brownie bar for kids, Quaker Granola Bars has been marketing mini granola bars (like fun sized candy bars) to hand out with other goodies, and dentists! Yes, that’s right, many dentists’ offices are collecting candy by the pound from their patients to send over to our troops abroad.
Overall, Halloween sales have seen a general increase over the past couple of years, due to the growing consumer appeal (horseless headsmans and KitKat jingles, and Full Moon Brownie bars unite!). Whether it’s catchy commercials, the prime day of the week, or marketing earlier than October, the Halloween holiday is coming out of the dark and revealing itself is a force to be reckoned with. Watch out Santa, hear comes Casper, Jack Skellington, and Frankenstein!
