While “the holidays” normally make marketers think of the Christmas season, there truly is no time of year that doesn’t warrant a campaign.
Each year, it seems as though back to school ads start earlier than ever and the gaps between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s campaigns are slim to none.
As marketers, how do we speak to consumers without bombarding them with the message of “buy, buy, buy”?
With Halloween being namely about fun, there’s great opportunity for brands to get creative, especially through social media. And, those that have certainly done it right often offer products and services we may not even relate to Halloween.
Best Graphics
In the case of well-known brands, consumers know exactly what they offer and how to utilize their products. Getting creative with the use of your product graphically is a simple and fun way to advertise for holidays.
Best Use of a Spokesperson
How can you create a marketing campaign when your brand offers something that isn’t purchased in relation to a holiday? Use your spokesperson! Progressive has done a fantastic job of making insurance ads fun and engaging with Flo. Last Halloween, they introduced the Flo costume – folks even dressed up as her! Free advertising!
Best Prank
Another way for brands to involve themselves in a holiday their products don’t relate to? Content! LG put displays on the floor of an elevator to scare people into thinking they may be falling through the floor due to the life-like images. Scary? Yes. Effective? Totally. The video gained millions of views.
Best Scary Content for a Cause
Halloween is great time to have fun with content and branded videos that are sharable. It’s often that the most engaging videos are the ones that keep us guessing what will happen and what brand it was created for. This video is one of them. The Heart & Stroke Foundation gained our attention with its #Undeading video, featuring a very scary zombie takeover. Most importantly, they incorporated steps to take when someone suffers from cardiac arrest. The campaign lead to a world record for the US/Canada for the most people trained in CPR at one time.