By using diverse media to connect with customers wherever they are and finding the perfect icebreakers to kickstart conversations, brands personalize their approach in countless ways. Generally, these little tweaks help them forge more meaningful connections and become part of the celebration, ultimately bringing them closer to their customers’ inner circle. 

After all, holidays are all about building relationships. Therefore, brands that make the most of this opportunity end up with strong bonds with their customers.

And when it comes to this effort, Halloween ads on various channels play a significant role. So, are you ready to dive into the world of popular Halloween ads across different platforms? Let’s get started!

Video commercials 

1. Heinz – Vegetarian Vampire 

Heinz came up with the idea of promoting its ketchup as “tomato blood” by creating a fictional “vegetarian vampire”. Hence, to promote this limited edition Halloween-themed ketchup, the brand introduced the above video ad. 

The humorous commercial tells the story of a vegetarian vampire while also subtly reinforcing the brand’s identity – its brand colors and signature product. The brand places As a result, the hashtag #fakeblood reportedly garnered more than 5.1 billion views on TikTok a short time since the release of the ad.  It has now become an annual tradition for Heinz and it places its Halloween ads for “tomato blood” on various social media platforms.  

Let’s now talk about a few quick takeaways from the ad: 

• Firstly, there is the creative conceptualization. The brand did not change anything about the product itself but rather modified the packaging design to set the mood for the occasion. 
• Secondly, there is the brand’s decision to work with social media influencer EJ Marcus. Undoubtedly, his TikTok popularity means that the collaboration opened up the opportunity for the brand to get exposed to his closely-knit community of followers. 
• And finally, there is the element of humor that helps establish that much-needed emotional connection. When customers feel emotionally stimulated by an ad, they tend to remember the ad better and hence they find it easier to recall the brand.  

KIMP Tip: Heinz did not undergo any drastic transformation for the campaign. The signature Heinz bottle to retain the brand’s identity, but just a few tweaks to the label! 

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A post shared by Heinz (@heinz)

To replicate this effect for your brand, sometimes you only need some subtle changes to your packaging design.

Ready to give your product packaging a Halloween makeover? Sign up for a KIMP Graphics subscription. 

2. Uber Eats – Don’t Run Out

One of the best Halloween ads to exemplify the significance of storytelling is this Uber Eats commercial. As can be seen, the ad delivered chills, thrills, and valuable lessons in marketing and design. 

Within its suspenseful narrative, the ad cleverly weaves in the message of Uber Eats’ convenience store delivery, ensuring no one faces the nightmare of an empty candy stash. The ad reportedly brought in about 65K views on YouTube in just 24 hours. 

Now for the takeaways from the ad: 

• The $1 million worth of hidden promo codes was a brilliant strategy. It engaged viewers by turning them into treasure hunters, effectively merging entertainment with promotion.
• The ad’s eerie ambiance captured the essence of Halloween, showcasing the power of setting the right tone in both your static and video content. 
• To further expand the reach of the ad and to leverage the social media presence of the cast, the brand also created theatrical posters for the short. There was a good engagement on the posts where the actors shared these posters. 

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A post shared by BIG BOSS 🔑🔑 (@keke)

The above campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of using a mix of static and video posts in your promotions. And to tackle the bulk of video and image requirements get a KIMP Graphics + Video subscription. 

Outdoor Halloween ads 

3. Spirit Halloween’s 3D billboard 

Spirit Halloween is perhaps the one brand that comes to mind for several Americans when they think about Halloween costumes and decor. The brand known for its Halloween pop-up stores added an interactive billboard ad. A 3D version of Jack The Reaper reaching out grabbed the attention of several passersby in New York’s Times Square.  

So, if you are planning to create Halloween ads for your outdoor campaigns then this one is a great ad to get inspired by. It shows how you can combine the effectiveness of a timeless outdoor advertising channel like billboards with modern technology to create something spectacular. Or in this case, spooktacular! 

What about the takeaways from this ad? 

• The ad begins with an introduction of the brand through the logo and URL displayed on the screen. This shows the effectiveness of an intro in animated ads. 
• It incorporates various design elements to evoke a Halloween theme. From glitch effects to flying bats, the ad utilizes various essentials to create the perfect Halloween aesthetic. 

4. Jeep’s illustrated ads 

In 2019, Jeep introduced the most adorable Halloween ads for its outdoor campaign. The campaign included a set of visuals all featuring Jeep’s signature front grill integrated into a Halloween symbol. 

Titled Happy Halloween, the campaign’s goal was simple – to wish its customers a Happy Halloween. Not to promote any product or to introduce any new launch. Just to celebrate with its customers. 

Now for some takeaways from this ad: 

• We have to start our discussion with the use of the Jeep grill in the design. That shows how maintaining consistency in branding can help even the little things evoke instant brand recall. 
• Then comes the brilliant use of Halloween symbols. When you choose the right symbol, you can give a quick Halloween makeover even to the simplest of designs. Want to know about using the right symbols in your Halloween ads, check out our blog here. 
• Thirdly, these simple outdoor ads also show the power of illustration in advertising. They show how simple illustrations can help create head-turning visuals for your campaign and create a unique identity for your brand. 

Experiential marketing for Halloween 

5. Marlon Wayans’ Halloween store prank for Netflix 

Marlon Wayans, star of “The Curse of Bridge Hollow,” played a prank on customers at a Halloween store. Unbeknownst to customers, he controlled the store’s decorations from a concealed room. The unsuspecting shoppers were in for a hair-raising experience as decorations came alive, sending shivers down their spines.

In addition to setting the Halloween theme, the idea of the ad was to promote the movie. And it did that brilliantly because the experience recreated at the store was similar to the scenes from the movie where Halloween decorations come to life.

A few takeaways from the ad:

• Ensuring that the promotional activity aligns seamlessly with the theme of the movie reinforces brand messaging and strengthens the connection between the advertisement and the film. So, for your Halloween ad to work in favor of your brand, ensure that it is relevant to your brand and the product or idea you are promoting. 
• Creating moments of surprise and suspense in your ad design can captivate an audience and leave them talking about the experience.

6. Fanta’s Halloween surprise 

Just around Halloween, Fanta brings its exclusive Halloween edition, Fanta Misterio. To promote this and to capture the Halloween vibe, Fanta set up its brand activation in Dalben Supermercados, Brazil. 

The idea of the campaign was to create an interactive experience that would imprint the brand in the minds of its customers. Clearly, the campaign also won the brand some new customers. After all, how can you walk past an installation like this one without stopping and interacting with it? 

Let’s talk about some takeaways from the ad: 

• Consider your target audience when you choose the concept, visuals, and placement for your ad. In this case, the positioning is in a supermarket where the ad faces a variety of family audiences. Keeping this in mind, the installation was such that it allures audiences of all age groups, as can be seen in the video. 
• The ad was planned only in a few local supermarkets but the novel concept led to people talking about the ad on social media. So, sometimes, even with a low budget you can reach a variety of channels provided you come up with a unique ad idea and implement it at the right place. 

Packaging and products 

7. Burger King Halloween packaging 

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A post shared by Burger King (@burgerking)

The fast-food giant Burger King takes a bite out of Halloween festivities with a creative packaging makeover for October. From takeaway buckets to the iconic crown, the brand conjures up a bewitching experience for its customers through spooky-themed visuals everywhere. 

What can you take away from this campaign? 

• When you have new packaging to flaunt, create simple Halloween ads to introduce the new design to your customers. Social media ads and web ads work well for this purpose. 
• Setting the stage for Halloween sometimes requires the smallest of changes – like the Halloween takeaway packaging in this case. 
• The packaging design from Burger King also reminds us of the effectiveness of incorporating Halloween symbols in Halloween ads. 

8. Pringles’ glow-in-the-dark cans 

Get sPoOoOoKy this #Halloween with Pringles by snacking on limited edition Pringles glow-in-the-dark cans! pic.twitter.com/FawQvg9E3X

— Pringles (@Pringles) October 31, 2022

Pringles’ approach for Halloween marketing is similar to that of Burger King. But the brand went one step ahead by introducing glow-in-the-dark cans. 

The brand took to social media to introduce its packaging with a simple animation to deliver the message. 

Let’s look at some takeaways from this campaign: 

• Introducing limited edition collections like the Pringles glow-in-the-dark can, creates a sense of urgency which in turn helps boost sales. 
• Unique packaging designs like this one result in a collectible, a tangible reminder of the brand. Notice that the brand did not deviate from its signature colors while implementing the new design. This preserves brand recognition when experimenting with new ideas. 

Social media campaigns 

9. Doritos promoting Screamin’ Sriracha

Now summoning the perfect spicy chip for #Halloween. Screamin’ Sriracha, now available. pic.twitter.com/wjhqoHECit

— Doritos (@Doritos) October 31, 2022

The above post from Doritos shows that simple can be effective in Halloween ads. To illustrate the effectiveness of this campaign, let’s look at a survey conducted by Statista. It showed that about 73% of Americans are planning to take part in Halloween celebrations in 2023. Without a doubt, hosting a party or attending one is one of the most popular components of Halloween celebrations for many. 

Evidently, a party calls for snacks and that’s where brands like Doritos come into the picture. It must be remembered that party hosts are always looking for something new and fun to include in their list. With this in mind, Doritos brings its Screamin’ Sriracha flavor just around Halloween. The above post was the brand’s way of introducing the product to its social media audience. 

Some takeaways from the above campaign: 

• Pay attention to small details to create a perfectly eerie Halloween aesthetic, like the dark background and the whiff of smoke in the above design. 
• Explore diverse content formats like the cinemagraph used in the above post from Doritos. These help attract the attention of your social media audience in a visually crowded social media space. 

Need help designing cinemagraphs and other creative motion graphics formats for your Halloween ads, get a KIMP Video subscription. 

10. Booking.com’s interactive social media post 

Get in the spirit 👻 of scary season with our Would You Rather… HALLOWEEN TRAVEL EDITION. pic.twitter.com/cusJH6Zsek

— Booking.com (@bookingcom) October 6, 2022

Prioritize conversations over conversions and your Halloween ads are sure to work. So, how do you do that? The above post from Booking.com is a good example. 

The post uses a simple GIF to attract attention and then presents a set of questions to enhance engagement. 

Now for the takeaways from this post: 

• Plan your posts such that they encourage two-way communication. To this end, add polls and questions to give customers a reason to interact with your post. 
• GIFs are effective communication tools for various occasions. Furthermore, given the increase in the volume of posts during holidays like Halloween, GIFs can be a game-changer in ensuring that your post gets noticed. 

Static images or short videos, design your Halloween ads with KIMP 

From infusing your brand elements to maintaining thematic consistency, a lot of factors can influence the effectiveness of your Halloween ads. This is where an experienced design team comes in handy. Because, with your stunning ad concepts and vision for the ad, and the expertise that the design team brings to the table, you can create scary-good Halloween ads to wow your audience.

Ready to get started? Register now for KIMP’s trial and explore the perks of unlimited design this holiday season.