Halloween may be a holiday for kids, but it’s a star-studded shindig for marketers. Why? Parents don’t mind spending on Halloween costumes, turning their kids into little goblins and mischievous mummies, and filling their loot bags with neighborhood candies and treats.

Early November All-hallows celebration is not merely for brands or products related to candies, pumpkins, and spookiness. For non-Halloween-related products, media buyers can take this opportunity to build their accounts in preparation for the holiday season. Marketers’ goal is to stay in front of their audience on all occasions. A well-crafted media plan Halloween campaign can leave lasting impressions even after the “night” are over.

This year, trick-or-treaters and candy-givers abound, with 69% of Americans saying yes to celebrating Halloween parties. It’s time for brands to get into the spooky spirit and create their ad campaigns with fang-tastic creatives and the right advertising objectives. Grab your jack-o-lanterns, brew magic spells, and get ready to cast bone-chilling ad tactics!

1. Start early: Rein the power of a frighteningly powerful search. As September 1st creeps up on us, we see rapid increases in platform searches for #Halloweencostume. According to Google Trends,  people interested in this trend show interest earlier than last year. While short-form video content on TikTok has 599.6M views, Instagram has a running 8.5M posts, and Facebook with 661k people talking about Halloween outfits. 
2. Know your platform: Given the numbers, Instagram and TikTok have huge influences when looking for costume inspiration for younger consumers. Based on NRF’s recent article, young viewers aged 18 to 24 are on a more visually-focused app, Instagram and TikTok, to look for inspiration. At the same time, the 18+ demographics are mainly found on Instagram and Facebook. 
3. Be creative: The world of social media advertising is not just about influencers and mobile ads. It’s also about having fun with suitable holiday themes to achieve high-performance campaigns — this month is no exception. Although Halloween may call on some eerie images or scary themes, it doesn’t mean that all brand ads need to be frightful or frightening. A variety of fun or quirky holiday themes (along with working with content creators) can go a long way in driving campaign goals. TikTok Creative center provides media buyers with resources to search for related viral videos and hashtags on the platform. Click here to see more #halloweencostume ideas.

See other infographics: Back-To-School Advertising Trends and Insights

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