The “spooky season” has finally arrived with the start of October. Halloween is the perfect opportunity to learn about marketing trends and the consumerism surrounding a classic holiday.
Trick or Treat
As the most significant tradition on Halloween night, trick or treating has evolved into an exemplification of successful marketing itself. Companies originally thought of individually packaged Halloween candy as a solution to parents' fears of unsafe treats. Now, U.S. citizens spend roughly $3 billion on individually packaged Halloween candy annually.
Another prime example is the “fun-sized” candy bar. These larger candy bars are seen as the impressive counterpart to bitesize candy. For instance, think back to the last time you went trick-or-treating. You likely remember the difference in popularity between the houses with the large Hershey’s bars compared to the houses with a bowl of small Snickers nuggets. Candy companies saw a positive reception to full-size bars, so the “fun-sized” brand was formed.
Jack-o'-Lanterns
Jack-o'-lanterns, a custom founded by the Irish and Scottish, traditionally used turnips or potatoes. After immigrants brought the tradition to North America, pumpkins were more abundant than turnips, leading to the version of pumpkin carving seen today.
The popularity of jack-o'-lanterns made plastic a cheaper alternative to pumpkins, leading to baskets and toys with the iconic triangle eye and jagged mouth image. Today, tens of millions of pumpkins are purchased yearly, and even more are carved.
Halloween has countless marketing trends. Now that you’ve learned of a few take the initiative to investigate all the fall season brings by applying DECA’s 21st-century skills and career clusters.
