5 'fa-boo-lous' Halloween executions to inspire your creativity

As countries begin to recover from the pandemic and restrictions on social gatherings have eased, many have bounced back with decorations and treats for that time of the year - Christmas Halloween. This year we see brands "creepin' it real" with their "spooktacular" executions: the horrors of working at home, having a meal at the witching hour, and even the fear of online dating. 

Which of these Halloween activations gave you a "stab" to the heart?

BBDO Singapore - WFHalloween

BBDO Singapore tapped on an all-too-familiar experience most people went through during the pandemic - working from home (WFH). WFH is a love-hate relationship, and the agency appealed to the latter using images depicting unpleasant WFH memories in its WFHalloween posts on Facebook and Instagram. These include a phone filled with texts from a superior, paired with paperclips to create a vampire, and messy computer wires in-home workspaces "staring into your soul".

In its post, BBDO said that WFH may have led many to even forget how their offices looked like. "But does that mean that these workplace horror stories are now a thing of the past? Or did they, too, adopt a new normal to keep haunting us?", the post stated.

https://www.facebook.com/bbdosg/photos/a.3249399801760761/4767652149935511

https://www.facebook.com/bbdosg/photos/a.3249399801760761/4771869549513771

Burger King - 3 am Apparitions

Burger King's Halloween campaign this year may just be the spookiest of them all. Titled 3 am Apparitions, the video shows a series of paranormal activities that were recorded in people's homes in the middle of the night. But when the clock strikes at 3 am, we see them waking up to order a meal on the Burger King app, despite the "apparitions". The video dares users to stay awake this Halloween with its free meals, available every day until 31 October 2021. However, the meals will only be available on the app at 3 am for an hour. Burger King worked with creative agency David Madrid for this campaign. 

Cedar Fair - Swipe Right For Fear

Cedar Fair, which runs 13 amusement parks in the US, partnered with dating app Tinder to get its users to "Swipe Right For Fear" and match with monsters from its Halloween events - Lisha and Chuck. For instance, Lisha's profile says "I enjoy long walks by the swamp, the sound of puppies whimpering and wearing your heart on my sleeve." After users match with the profiles, they will receive their own creepy invite to the events.

The campaign was aimed at users from 18 to 35 years old, and was geo-targeted to promote Cedar Fair's Halloween events happening at three of its parks: Kings Island, Carowinds, and Kings Dominion. Cedar Fair also launched a dating profile video featuring several of its scare actors, which is advertised on streaming platforms. Cedar Fair worked with American marcomms agency Cramer-Krasselt for this campaign.

Chipotle Mexican Grill - Chipotle Boorito Maze

Chipotle has given its annual Boorito Halloween a digital makeover as it moves the party to the metaverse. It is also the first restaurant brand to open a virtual storefront on gaming platform Roblox. Users will have to find the cashier in the Mexican chain's virtual store to receive a special offer code for a free burrito. Users can then enter the Chipotle Boorito Maze and find their way to the centre, where they will be rewarded with exclusive Chipotle-inspired Roblox items. According to Chipotle, there are US$1 million worth of free burritos up for grabs.

NTUC FairPrice Finest - Halloween Store Dress Up 2021 Contest

NTUC FairPrice engaged customers with its Halloween Store Dress Up contest at its Finest outlets. On Facebook, NTUC FairPrice called on its customers to pick which outlet is best dressed for Halloween and vote for their favourites. To vote, users simply have to "like" their favourite outlet's image and leave a comment on why that outlet deserves to win. NTUC FairPrice will also award five users with vouchers for the most creative comments.

https://www.facebook.com/thatsmyfairprice/posts/10158815300101409

Separately, Disney+ Singapore shortlisted three local artists in August to create digital artworks inspired by the thrilling horror titles available on the streaming platform, including The Walking Dead, What We Do In The Shadows, and American Horror Stories. The campaign aimed to create relevance for these shows to its Singaporean audience and provide a platform for local artists to share their unique perspectives of its popular horror titles. The artworks were featured across all Disney+ Singapore social media platforms.

Have you seen any other executions that made you scream? Let us know at deepas@marketing-interactive.com!

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