SpOOHktacular campaigns
For many people the beginning of October can mean only one thing, the countdown to Halloween. Picking up trends from the States, it’s not unusual now to see stunningly intricate Halloween parties and themed food and drink aimed at adult audiences, alongside the usual fare to suite children out for trick-or-treating.
In fact, three in ten UK adults took part in Halloween activities last year and a whopping 77% of millennials got into the spooky spirit with Halloween events. This growth in discerning audience has opened up a world of possibility for brands to engage in the season. With 73% of Halloween spend from households with no children, campaigns are now specifically created to target adults as well as the younger audience of trick-or-treaters.
For many years’ advertisers have been using the season so shock, delight and amuse consumers, from zombies and vampires to pumpkins and bats there is something for everyone. Additionally, whether wandering the neighbourhood trick-or-treating or dancing the night away surrounded by ghosts and ghouls, it’s an event that is very much centred around being out of home, offering a fantastic opportunity for brands to target this mobile audience.
This year Sainsbury’s took advantage of the 160million that is expected to be spend on fancy dress costumes and commissioned an amazing mural showing how shoppers could ‘scare well for less’.
Echoing the infamous scene in ‘The Shining’, the large-scale murals in Manchester and London support a wider OOH campaign.
This isn’t the only example of how OOH has been used to drive consumer action, in the past McDonald’s have run campaigns on the truly terrifying (for some) ‘Night of the living gherkin’ and fanged burgers that hopefully won’t bite back. Not all campaigns though go for a scary edge with Twitter opting for a simple carved pumpkin, probably the most iconic symbol of the season.
The Power of Video Creative in DOOH Advertising
The opportunity for creative campaigns isn’t restricted to static. There are a myriad of examples of video creative being used online to create that little trick through a jump or treat with something that makes people laugh. This can easily be repurposed through the use of full motion DOOH which has opened up a fully complementary 4th Space for brands looking to use video advertising to connect with consumers in the OOH space and has been shown to generate +23% brand effectiveness when added to a social plan.
It’s safe to say that despite its scary credentials, Halloween will likely continue to grow in popularity and provide a brands the chance to make an impact on audiences in exciting and perhaps even shocking ways.
