Halloween is becoming big business. This year, consumers are expected to spend a record-busting $13.1 billion on products and activities related to the occasion (including $3.9 billion on candy), according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey. But tapping into the holiday is nothing new for experiential marketers. Halloween has long inspired some of the industry’s most creative campaigns, and 2025 was no exception. Across global stunts, experiential products and installations, haunted sleepovers and candy challenges, brands brought the fun and frights. Trick or treat.
AIRHEADS
Turns out it’s not just us that wishes trick-or-treating was acceptable for grown-ups. According to OnePulse research cited by Airheads, 87 percent of adults think it’s weird to participate in the activity alone, despite having cherished it as kids. The brand’s solution? Decoy Boy.
The costumed, kid-sized robot, situated in a classic kids wagon, could be disguised as a real child, giving adults the freedom to trick or treat without having to answer any questions. Each Decoy Boy, which could be won through an online contest for a limited time, could hold up to 15 pounds of candy, came in three costumes to choose from and had both a “persuasion dial” for extra candy and a “tantrum mode” that resulted in uncontrolled begging for more Airheads.
BACARDÍ
For Bacardí and its signature bat-emblazoned bottle, Halloween is the ultimate holiday. This year, in addition to introducing a new limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark bottle with a skeleton motif, the brand invited consumers to enjoy cocktails at a number of festive celebrations (including a seriously cool OOH partnership with Sphere and AMC).
Chief among them was the Escape Halloween festival on Oct. 31 in San Bernardino, CA, where the brand brought its Casa Bacardí platform to life in the event’s Crazy Town zone, “an enigmatic realm pulsing with mysterious characters and unseen supernatural forces.” The brand treated attendees to dj sets, all-new cocktails, including frozen selections, a costume contest, photo moments and custom bat-sprout giveaways. Bacardí also served as title sponsor of Janelle Monáe’s annual Wondaween event, which took place in venues across the city on Oct. 30, and included the debut of the brand’s Rave Yard Mojito cocktail.
CUTWATER
Canned cocktail brand Cutwater wasn’t messing around when it came to haunted Halloween hijinks this year. In September, as part of its Real Spirits Inside campaign, the brand opened up a sweepstakes designed to “turn skeptics into believers,” a playful way to address cynicism, whether in the context of the supernatural or the quality of a cocktail in a can. Two winners and their guests were offered an overnight stay at Franklin Castle in Cleveland, OH, one of the most haunted homes in the U.S.
The haunted sleepover took place Oct. 15, and the winners were provided with all kinds of amenities, spanning ghost-hunting gear, exclusive Cutwater swag, a tour of the castle, a mixology class and sensory dinner hosted by cocktail influencer Nikk Alcaraz, and a late-night ghost investigation led by Steve Gonsalves, which included paranormal-hunting tools, like EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) readers. At one point in the recap video, a participant yells “Can you just take us to the airport right now, who cares!”
Real Spirits Inside, indeed. (Agency: Autumn Communications)
HBO
Where to even begin? If ever there were a brand “HallowQueen,” HBO would certainly take the title this year to promote its original series “IT: Welcome to Derry.” Kicking off with a Face Your Fears experience at New York Comic Con set inside an eerie, 1960s-era child’s bedroom, as well as an adjacent pop-up at Party City, the brand went on to activate a host of different experiences built to send tingles down spines.
For the show’s Hollywood red-carpet premiere, HBO created a scene out of 1960s suburbia that wound up feeling more like “disturbia.” With input from the show’s executive producers, the brand crafted an unsettling atmosphere that served as an authentic recreation of the setting from “IT.” Highlights spanned a meticulous horror maze; multisensory elements like fog, fragrance, soundscapes and jump-scares; a creepy red-carpet environment featuring in-character performances; and plenty of 1960s-era details, from typography to color palettes to furniture pieces. (Agency: Unboxed Group)
Photo credit: Unboxed Group
And then there was the worldwide takeover that kicked off Oct. 22 and had Pennywise and his ominous red balloon conjuring nightmares all around the globe, from France to Thailand to China to Australia to Chile and beyond, as well as in the U.S. in New York and L.A. From sinister, regular-sized solo red balloons to unnerving large ones floating in public spaces, along with other series-themed easter eggs, and appearances by Pennywise, HBO pulled out all of the stops. (Agency: VTProDesign)
Beyond the physical activations, the brand extended the campaign across brand partners, digital takeovers, social, influencers and sporting events.
Photo credit: HBO
HI-CHEW
From Oct. 24-26 in Southern California, Hi-Chew activated a candy-coated House of Mystery that was part sampling experience, part fun-house, and all designed to celebrate the launch of the brand’s Mystery Mix.
When attendees first arrived, they were welcomed by mischievous Hi-Chew mascot, Chewbie, dressed as a witch and stirring a cauldron. Then, they journeyed through a series of rooms, each inspired by a signature Hi-Chew flavor, and including activities like a claw machine and oversized Lite-Brite-style installation. And along the way, they could partake in candy-themed challenges, munch on samples, snag merch and work to solve the “ultimate flavor mystery” before it was officially revealed on Halloween day.
All told, nearly 2,500 people passed through the House of Mystery over three days, 45,000 samples were dished out and 85 percent of attendees considered making a purchase after experiencing the activation. (Agency: Inspira)
Photo credit: Hi-Chew
HULU
Disney-owned Hulu added a new element to its annual Huluween offerings this year: EDGEOFYØR Seat, a conceptual piece of furniture crafted by FYRN that serves as a play on the concept of “sitting on the edge of your seat” while watching horror content. Eighty percent of a typical chair was chopped off to create the seat, ensuring viewers “maintain perfect, terrified posture.”
M&M’S
With Halloween 2025 falling on a Friday, more trick-or-treaters were on the town than usual, and that meant families needed to be extra stocked-up on candy. So for a third year, M&M’s partnered with Gopuff and released the Halloween Rescue Squad, which delivered more treats than ever to homes whose candy bowls had run dry. According to the brand, Halloween has become an all-important holiday that has been celebrated year-round in 2025, including a Summerween campaign and “micro-occasions.”
REESE’S
The seventh, yes seventh, film in the “Scream” franchise debuts this February, but brand partner Reese’s got the ball rolling early with a global “Scream for Reese’s” campaign that made an American holiday a worldwide celebration. In Australia, for instance, consumers could explore exclusive, themed in-store displays and enter a sweepstakes, while in Germany, they could score experiential prizes, like VIP movie screenings.
Over in Mexico, a flagship OXXO retail shop was transformed into a Reese’s Halloween playground featuring spooky decor, Ghostface-inspired elements, and plenty of samples. Additional activations included events at universities, parks, plazas and Six Flags. And in the UK, social campaigns and pop-up events were aimed at younger audiences, while on London’s South Bank, the brand installed a classic (Reese’s-themed) phone box that invited passersby to answer a sinister call, and walk away with free treats.
@reesesukofficial I’d like to hear you scream…for Reese’s. Click for a chance to WIN. Scream7 in cinemas Feb 2026
Photo credit: Hershey
TWIX
To remind consumers that its product is a mix of cookie and candy, which is “double trouble,” Twix brewed up a new blended holiday: Hallowmas. Presided over by an AI-generated Zombie Claus, the occasion has been celebrated online and in person all month. The crowning jewel was the TWIX Hallowmas Grotto pop-up in New York, where a real-life Zombie Claus hosted the affair. The event included plenty of jump scares, remixed Christmas carols, interactive photo ops with the big man himself, and lots of Twix to go around.
