For the young and young at heart, Halloween conjures an extra sense of magic. Dressing up, planning themed parties and collecting candy are time-honored traditions that bring lasting memories. But with the rise of social media, excitement around All Hallows' Eve has expanded far beyond the 31st. From costume shopping to pumpkin picking, the month of October is filled with activities for families to enjoy as they approach the big day. And with more than 171 million Americans planning to celebrate the holiday, spending an average of $82.93 each, there are ample opportunities for brands to jump on board.
However, traditional Halloween email-based advertising campaigns may spook brands for entirely different reasons. Last year, a majority of Halloween-themed email campaigns fell flat, with only 6% of campaigns scoring read rates over 20%, according to a study by eDataSource from last year. Even scarier? Not one email reached an open rate of 50% or higher, demonstrating that consumers are looking for branded communication that truly resonates.
Increasingly, companies are turning to earned content: images and endorsements from consumers, especially from social media. Since many shoppers already use social media to see what others are doing for Halloween, utilizing earned content allows brands to place what consumers are already searching for at the center of their ad campaigns. And there is more than enough content for them to pick from, with multiple Instagramers becoming viral sensations over the past few years.
Each Halloween, consumers flock to social media to share both creative costumes and seasonal craft and decorating ideas. User-generated content strikes a chord with consumers; last year, one-year-old Noah Chavkin became a viral sensation after his mother shared pictures of him in different homemade costumes leading up to Halloween. As social media users flocked to Instagram to admire Noah's costumes, his mother's fashion brand, Teeny Tiny Couture, received free exposure. As shoppers increasingly shun traditional advertising and celebrity endorsements, consumer-generated content depicting authentic moments deeply resonates. Ultimately, staged photoshoots don't connect with audiences the same way that photos of real groups of friends going trick-or-treating together do.
Brands looking to succeed in the Halloween season should enable similar moments for consumers to rally around by creating branded hashtags and inviting consumers to share their brand experiences. Last year, PetSmart invited shoppers to share photos of costumed pets using the hashtag #MonsterCute for a chance to win a $1,000 grand prize. This campaign, which generated 9972 photos, encouraged pet-lovers to show off their purchases online, allowing them to engage with the PetSmart brand on a deeper level. But, perhaps more importantly, the campaign helped spread the word about PetSmart's seasonal offerings, inspiring potential shoppers to make similar purchases by taking advantage of the already present willingness of social media users to search for pictures of cute animals online.
And the fun doesn't start on Halloween itself, as most consumers celebrate the season all month-long. By encouraging shoppers to use a branded hashtag to document their brand experiences, marketers can then weave these authentic reactions into brick-and-mortar signage, digital marketing campaigns and branded social channels, making assets more genuine and actionable. For example, using a branded hashtag as part of a contest is a great way to encourage user interaction. This year, NYX Cosmetics is encouraging shoppers to show how they use their makeup to perfect their costumes with the #31DaysofHalloweenContest, with some selfies being featured on their site. And while many social media users are teenagers or adults, Halloween is a holiday for all, and encouraging younger shoppers to engage with brands online is a great way to create enthusiasm around a product. Oreo managed to engage with young fans with their #OreoLab campaign in 2014, which challenged users to invent the most interesting name for "nomsters", or cute monsters made out of Oreos. The photos of the nomsters were shared over social media, as were the winning names which were used promote the cookies throughout the season. Whether they be photos uploaded on Instagram, or creative ideas shared by users on Facebook or Twitter, these assets could then be leveraged across marketing channels to forge more meaningful connections with shoppers.
Utilizing earned content can help capture consumer excitement this Halloween, enabling brands to forge stronger bonds with consumers and, in turn, see greater conversions. By encouraging shoppers to share their favorite seasonal purchases across social, brands can interact with shoppers in a meaningful way, while also promoting their seasonal products.