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Brands Embrace Halloween Hijinks for Spooky Season
Updated with Top Gear, Custom Ink, Huggies, McDonalds
Brands are rising to the fright-filled occasion for All Hallows’ Eve. Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite creepfests.
UPDATED OCT. 31 …
Top Gear launches its latest episode on YouTube today, featuring a car ravaged by a Zombie apocalypse—blood and guts everywhere. Turtle Wax serves as sponsor of the new video series on how cars get reborn after experiencing something calamitous.
Custom Ink dresses up the the local zombies, witches and vampires of Undead Acres as humans—a “dad bod,” “grill god, “life coach” and a Karen. Mekanism’s AI Studio created the humorous initiative.
The horrors of baby blowouts come comedically to life through Huggies‘ “Full-Blown Horror Stories” audio campaign. The work by DAVID emphasizes the everyday nightmare of a blowout via tropes, while paying homage to horror classic movies—all of which can be avoided with the help of Huggies.
McDonald’s brings back its iconic Happy Meal Boo Buckets, sporting “familiar frightful faces. Think ghosts, pumpkins and goblins plus two newbies: a cat and zombie. The idea is that they are appearing everywhere, just like ghostly apparitions haunting the night—eerie-sistible.
Clash of Clans wants fans to channel their inner Barbarian and launched a global social media competition where gamers can post pics of their costumes to win rewards. DAVID New York is behind the play, seeking to showcase how creators and cosplayers are bringing the game to life.
Garage Beer stages a creepy-silly Predator spoof starring the craft brewer’s cofounder, Jason Kelce. Who needs lasers when you have beer? But … wouldn’t that stuff get skanked in the tropical heat? We’ll find out on Halloween, when an 11-minute mini-epic drops across social. READ MORE
Ikea provides “Halloween Essentials”—basically stuff to hide behind when you’re watching scary movies. Duvets and cushions star in the cute push from Ogilvy’s Ingo.
Frankenstein’s monster was famously stitched together from random body parts. Now, McDonald’s Italy introduces an in-app AI-driven experience that lets users stitch together menu items into burger combos.
Columbia Sportswear welcomes its newest brand ambassador this Halloween: the Grim Reaper in the social campaign “Death Wishes.” Created with Adam&eveDDB London, Mr. Reaper is featured with the limited-edition Powderkeg II Remastered Interchange jacket, complete with a legally binding Will & Testament stitched into the lining. It demonstrates that “Columbia makes its gear so tough, it could outlive you.”
Disney+’s annual “Huluween” gets you sinking into your chair from fright—literally. Created by Callen and furniture design manufacturer Fyrn, “EDGEOFYØR Seat” features a masked man who admires the work he’s done on a chair “with over 80 percent of the seat severed and hacked away,” leaving everyone left on the edge.
Mini gets a Halloween makeover by dressing up as a Waymo. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created “Elloween”—showing that “nothing is scarier than ghosting on driving.” In contrast, taking the wheel of a Mini is “way more fun” than getting a lift from a ghost. READ MORE
Heinz moves away from its blood-colored condiment to emphasize a limited-time black garlic mayo. “Mayo Halloween,” created by DAVID São Paulo, embraces a creepy, dark aesthetic, paying homage to vintage horror films.
Gushers brings back its ’90s “FruitHeads” initiative, this time as a horror short—indeed, a new nightmare. In partnership with Imagine Entertainment, the spot represents the ultimate psychological snack thriller. READ MORE.
Church’s Chicken just launched “Chick or Treat” meal deals. Each week, the fast-feeder offers a different “terrifyingly terrific” taste—like bone-in wings. It’s spooktacular.
William H. Macy appears as a medical examiner at the morgue saving bones for Clash Royale’s “Skeleton Army.” The ad, by Uncommon Stockholm, urges organ donation. It serves as both game branding and a call to action to save lives. READ MORE.
Cheetos brings bliss to The Addams Family’s Thing this Halloween. When a vending machine turns up in town, the hand maestro gets inventive at finding a way to (finally) open a bag of the cheesy delights. READ MORE.
Six Flags gets scarily close to horror movies by adding “real-life jolts in scare zones and haunted mazes.” TMA went for thrills and chills with Smiley, a 7-foot tall face-stealing woodland freak in the clip below. READ MORE
Jack in the Box brings back the ’80s arcade feel in an in-app game, “DealQuest.” Created by TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A., the campaign unlocks codes for seasonal Monster Munchie Meals—but beware, Jack Box bites back! READ MORE.
Xfinity creates a Frankenstein monster with refined tastes—alas, the mad scientist fails to teach him anything at all. Goodby Silverstein & Partners made a creature that learns the ways of (high) living by binging NBCUniversal content. Salut! READ MORE.
Hatch created a scary good horror trailer, “Goodnight Phone” which masquerades, fittingly, as an ad campaign. The faux horror film was created in-house by a team comprised solely of women. It follows scream queen du jour Kiernan Shipka as she doomscrolls amid hair-raising moments (like being haunted by a terrifying doppelgänger).
Step aside New Kids on the Block, and make room for the Very Big Sour Patch Kid handing out bags of the beloved Mondelēz candy. DAVID Miami created a 15-foot inflatable Kid and stocked select homes with 20,000 bags of treats in secret. So if you see it, don’t flee in fear
Cutwater has a “real spirits inside” campaign that showcases the brand’s actual spirits, like tequila, vodka, rum, gin and whiskey. A contest gives folks the chance to win an overnight stay at Cleveland’s Franklin Castle, which they say is haunted (so spirits abound!).
M&M’s get an angry mob going when Trick-Or-Treaters discover no one refilled the bowl. BBDO created the “Refill” spot, which sees the Mars Wrigley confectioner’s Halloween Rescue Squad offer free candy bowl “top-ups” for the third year in a row.
Capri Sun serves up “Trick & Treat” this year, with a limited-edition trick pouch that looks exactly like the regular one, but is heat sealed from the inside making it impossible to pierce. Mischief created the, well, mischievous pouch–Muhhh huaaaaah!
The Kelce Brothers team up for a spoof on slasher films with “Garage Fear” via their co-owned small-batch brewer Garage Beer. The play includes a limited-edition 12-pack and an adult comic book, and both Jason and Travis will star in an upcoming “Cursed” animated video as well. READ MORE
