Marketers Market for Halloween

Yes, "holiday creep" has Halloween candy/costumes in stores even before back-to-school marketing begins. But marketing trends go well beyond these basics.

No matter what you're marketing, be aware that if you're using Halloween themes in email marketing, you may have fewer folks open your messages. Yet the conversion rate is solid, meaning those who open messages can be converted into buyers.

Some marketers prefer to intro or preview Halloween goods and services early, little by little, to build anticipation and awareness. This is certainly the case for theme parks and other service marketers that offer special Halloween experiences.

Seasonal products or campaigns related to Halloween need time to reach audiences and generate response. The soft-drink brand Fanta rolled out Halloween-themed Snap filters early to encourage usage and viral reaction.

Halloween and pumpkins are a traditional association. Pumpkin food products are selling well as the fall season gets into full swing before Halloween. As usual, marketers are pushing pumpkin spice everything. In fact, Starbucks and Dunkin' began marketing pumpkin flavors in August this year. But, despite rumors, there is NO Oscar Meyer pumpkin-flavor bologna.

Shopper Marketing Coordinated with Social Media Marketing

With Halloween approaching, store displays and social media accounts are promoting the season with limited-edition pumpkin-spiced products and Halloween treats galore.

Above, packages of a limited-edition Hostess baked treat displayed on a supermarket endcap. These Glo Balls are a seasonal variation on the brand's Sno Balls products. Interstate Bakeries acquired the Hostess brands in 1995 and changed its corporate name to Hostess in 2009. More than 1.2 million brand fans have clicked to like the Hostess Facebook page.

Another familiar technique for shopper marketing is to use a seasonal point-of-purchase display. This Hershey Halloween cardboard display, at the front of a supermarket, has plenty of room for family-sized bags of Hershey-branded candies, for home or for trick-or-treat give-aways. The company also promotes recipes and crafts featuring its branded chocolates on the web and social media. Nearly 10 million people have liked Hershey's Facebook page, by the way.

Finally, an unusual pumpkin-spiced product: Gouda cheese, found in the supermarket's cheese refrigerated case. Only for a limited time. Not the usual autumn flavor combo, to say the least.

Scarcity Marketing for Halloween

You know it's autumn when Starbucks puts pumpkin spice lattes back on the menu. The company has sold 200 million of these lattes in nine years on the market. This year, it's got lots of competition: Panera, McDonald's, and Dunkin' Donuts are in the pumpkin spiced coffee business, as well. A quick Google search of "pumpkin coffee" brings up many other competing products from retailers like Trader Joe's and Fairway.

Halloween is also a time for unusual limited-time food and beverage treats.

• One bakery in New York is making Cheetos macarons (who could make this up?). 
• Of course Oreos are out in their Halloween finery (at right). 
• Jones Soda is bringing back its Halloween flavors. 
• Cadbury Screme Eggs are back, from Hershey. 

Scarcity marketing generally adds to the excitement of limited-time and seasonal flavors and foods, encouraging people to buy now before it's too late.

Sandy, Soggy Halloween

It's Halloween, and a bit spooky for people in the Eastern US. We're having a subdued and soggy holiday this year, with no electricity, widespread damage, injuries, and cleanup efforts still in the early stages. Many towns are postponing children's events for safety reasons.

Well before Hurricane Sandy made her appearance, candy marketers were on the air and in print advertising family size packages, individual packages suitable for trick-or-treaters, and recipes for party fare.

Halloween goodies come in salty flavors as well as sweet. Some supermarkets are featuring point-of-purchase displays of Wonderful Pistachio treats for Halloween, with packaging tied to the Disney Frankenweenie movie.

And while pumpkin lattes wouldn't seem to be at the top of the list for young trick-or-treaters, their parents are unhappy about Starbucks running out of this seasonal favorite. (Starbucks has been testing pumpkin spice latte ice cream too.) On the other hand, Dunkin' Donuts has pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, and more. And 'tis the season for pumpkin beers.

Happy Halloween, no matter what treat you prefer, and please be safe.

Retailers in Halloween Mood

Retailers are getting ready for a busy Halloween this year: According to the National Retail Federation, 71.5% of Americans "will get into the haunting Halloween mood, up from 68.6 percent last year and the most in NRF’s 10-year survey history." The survey suggests that purchases of candy, costumes, and decorations will be about 10% higher than last year--nearly $80 per household, on average.

Pet owners will be costuming their dogs or cats, too, to the tune of an estimated $370 million in Halloween spending.

And trick-or-treaters will be enjoying a LOT of candy this year. The National Confectioners Association projects more than $2 billion in US candy sales for Halloween.

The top 10 costumes? The NRF's infographic sums it up: superheroes, zombies/vampires, and the usual pirates, princesses, pumpkins, and ghosts.

Marketing Gets Spooky

Southwest Airlines has a seasonal promo on its Web site right now, featuring "haunted hotels." The headline, as you can see below, reads: "Visit some of the most Spooktacular hotels in the U.S."

Given Southwest's reputation for tongue-in-cheek marketing, this fits right in with the brand image and just might give vacationers the push they need to click and reserve before the Halloween season is over.

Candy manufacturers, of course, are in their glory with the big trick-or-treat season coming to a peak very soon. Price promotions are rampant, but some marketers are getting into the Halloween spirit with themed commercials. Here's a link to the latest Halloween commercial for Snickers. Will it give buyers the frights or make them run to the store for a big bag of Snickers?

Boo! Halloween marketing

Theme parks and attractions across the US are doing more to market themselves as fun/frightful destinations for Halloween season. In California, Universal Studios is challenging Knott's Berry Farm as the two parks promote special themed nights, parties, and activities during the run-up to Halloween.

Knott's has been targeting this segment for more than 30 years; Universal's latest Halloween theme initiative began a couple of years ago. If the parks can encourage families and teens to establish a holiday tradition of visiting during the fright events, they'll gain traction and extend the season profitably.

Lake Superior Zoo is marketing "Boo at the Zoo" as a limited-time Halloween event. The Party Central theme park in Shreveport, Louisiana is "Scary Central" for the month of October. The list goes on and on. Plus Halloween and the whole trick-or-treat concept are spreading around the world. Will this year be tricky?