When it comes to celebrating Halloween, it’s no longer just about candy and costumes.
A survey done by SmartAssets and QuestDIY looked at who is taking part in various aspects of Halloween. Most consumers will be decorating their home or yard (51%), watching Halloween movie specials (53%), in addition to, of course, buying candy for trick-or-treaters (57%).
And brands are always looking to make a splash by creating memorable (and fun) campaigns to highlight the holiday. The survey also shows that those who lean into atmosphere, seasonality and sensory cues (gooey, crunchy, chewy)—rather than just celebrity star power or gimmicks—perform better in recall and influence.
PRNEWS took the opportunity to highlight some non-candy campaigns for creative examples on how to reach an audience in spooky season.
Campaigns of Note:
Columbia Sportswear: Grim Reaper
Columbia Sportswear turned the traditionally ominous Grim Reaper into a cheeky influencer—@Reaper_1938—to spotlight its Powderkeg II Remastered Interchange jacket. The “Death Wishes” campaign leans into Columbia’s long-standing “Engineered for Whatever” platform, underscoring how the gear is built to outlast you. The initiative includes a social content teasing the Reaper’s “near-death” moments, a limited-edition jacket competition and custom coffin packaging for influencer giveaways, all reinforcing the durability and heritage of the brand’s outerwear line.
Starbucks: Abracadabra Frappuccino
Starbucks brewed up some Halloween magic with its limited‐time “Abracadabra Frappuccino®” and a new glow-in-the-dark cup collection. Designed to capture the moment and the share-worthy visuals, the offering ties flavor innovation with merch—underscoring Starbucks’ ongoing strategy of marrying product and experience in seasonal campaigns.
AMC: Sphere of Fear
AMC Networks and Sphere Entertainment Co. turned Las Vegas’ massive Exosphere into a Halloween spectacle for “Sphere of Fear,” tying AMC’s “FearFest” programming to a real-world, high-impact visual experience. The campaign transforms the Sphere’s 580,000-square-foot LED surface into a nightly horror show—complete with red smoke, eerie animations and brand integrations. The visuals are also repurposed across AMC’s TV, streaming and social channels, expanding reach far beyond the venue.
Chipotle: Boorito
For its 25th annual celebration of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s “Boorito,” the brand is resurrecting its iconic Halloween tradition on October 31 by offering a $6 entrée to Rewards members who arrive in costume (after 3 p.m.) at participating locations. To further amplify the milestone year, Chipotle launched a TikTok-based #BooritoCostumeContest, where participants can win a VIP Card worth over $500 in free food.
Alienware and Twitch: The Artifact
For Halloween week Alienware partnered with Twitch to turn New York City’s Grand Central Terminal into “The Artifact,” a sci-fi-inspired activation that merges real-world commuter traffic with live-stream viewership. Visitors can step into a portal-like installation, solve fast-paced glyph-matching puzzles in teams of up to three (or solo), and see the environment around them transform with frost, wormholes and energy pulses as they “stabilized the rift in time and space.”
Demandbase: 66.6FM
Demandbase, a leader in AI-powered GTM technology, is leaning into spooky season with a clever twist on B2B storytelling: “66.6FM: Data Horror Stories.” The website collects real-life tales from sales and marketing leaders about their most chilling data mishaps—from corrupted CRM files to misfired campaigns. While the campaign plays up Halloween flair, it also underscores a serious point: after analyzing submissions, Demandbase found that the true villain haunting GTM teams isn’t bad luck or external forces, but internal negligence and broken processes.
Nicole Boo-man is Managing Editor for PRNEWS.