Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get creative with your campaigns. From dedicated, limited-edition Halloween branding to Halloween social media campaigns, we’ve rounded up the scariest, spookiest and silliest in Halloween marketing for your delight. From Heinz and Call of Duty to the big guns of Universal Studios and KFC’s 80s-inspired horror promo, do you dare to be scared?
Here are the brands who’ve produced the most frightfully fabulous Halloween marketing campaigns:
- Heinz
- Universal Studios
- Disney Channel
- KFC
- Call of Duty
The Best Halloween Campaigns
Heinz Tomato Blood
If you don’t want to splash out on fake blood from the costume shop, then ketchup makes a pretty good substitute. To promote their limited-edition Halloween branded ‘Tomato Blood’ bottle design, Heinz enlisted TikTok creator E.J. Marcus to play the role of a vegetarian vampire, Toby, in a playful ad scheduled during the premiere of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series.
Cute and funny, if you’re a What We Do in the Shadows fan, then you’ll recognise the idea of having a vampire housemate. Heinz have chosen classic comedy eerie music as the soundtrack, as ‘influencer vampire’ Toby earnestly tries to persuade more vampires to go veggie – ‘Because humans are people too!’ The video is also streaming on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, targeting Gen Z buyers.
Universal Studios – Halloween Horror Nights
Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights promise terrifying haunted houses, sinister scare zones, outrageous live entertainment and exciting attractions.
This promo film starring ‘the scream squad’ features teen characters Selfie Queen, The Snacker, Superfan, The Jock and more, who learn that you need to stick together, or you won’t last long…
The film features some horror classics, such as Michael Myers and his hockey mask from the original Halloween, a creepy, Children of the Corn-style attack, plus – of course – zombies.
There’s a series of promos featuring horror names including Blumhouse Productions (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Get Out).
Plus, there are character stand-alones, such as this one featuring The Jock and the Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
And Legends Collide in this monster-themed spot starring The Snacker.
The visuals are all matched by creepy sound effects, references to classic horror soundtracks (including Halloween) and, of course, plenty of screams…
Disney Channel - Calling all the Monsters
And if you are staying in on All Hallows Eve with the kids, then rest assured, the Disney Channel has you covered.
What a festival of family-friendly frights! The Worst Witch, Frankenweenie, all the Hotel Transylvania films, Under Wraps, Bunk’d, Toy Story of Terror and so much more. You’ll need the whole month of October to watch them all.
KFC – La Masacre/The Massacre
KFC have turned to 80s-inspired horror for their Halloween campaign. The long-form video ad campaign released in Spain supports their pizza menu and unleashes hot, gory, Evil Dead-style mayhem.
Created by PS21 and directed by Spanish filmmaker NYSU, The Massacre was inspired by the work of horror legends Sam Raimi, Joe Dante and Tobe Hooper. The 14-minute short tells the story of five friends who drive to a remote cabin (‘Someone’s bound to have died here!’) for a weekend of fun. There’s been a communications mix-up: they have plenty of booze, but no food, until a stack of mysterious pizzas arrives… It’s probably best not to eat food from ‘Semetary Pizza’, is all we’ll say.
The title sequence of the film is definitely tapping into the love for horror-tastic Season 4 of Stranger Things, with the red text and 80s electronic soundtrack. It’s a great piece of horror filmmaking and keeps you hooked till the end, which is no mean feat for a spoof.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty really brought the scares with their interactive zombie street prank scare in London. Created to celebrate the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard, you can’t fault the zombies created for a Zombie Trophy Head Wall targeting unsuspecting Londoners. The interactive installation definitely succeeded in freaking people out!
The promo video of amusing reactions to the creepy installment starts off with classic, tension-filled music to showcase the zombie heads, before veering off into a more comedic track, featuring a German vocal. This ties into a theme of the fun offered by the game: ‘The only thing better than killing a zombie, is killing a Nazi zombie.’
Still Want More?
We have loads more of the best Halloween ads on our blog, plus a deep dive on the ultimate horror movie soundtracks. And if you want to try your hand at creating your own horror content, then check out our expert guide to how to make a horror movie.
If you just want to get into the spirit (ha) of things, then we’ve got any number of horror and Halloween playlists for you. Plus, if you’re looking for music to license, then we have music for advertising and music for TV programmes in every possible genre.
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This page was updated 21/05/2024.
