It’s now fall 2020, time for marketers to take a more inclusive approach for their messaging this season. Not everyone celebrates Halloween, and even those who do are likely to be scaling it back this year.
Halloween is a major occasion for sales in a normal year as close to 70% of Americans, according to Statista, celebrate. Ever think about the 30% that don’t?
This is a good year to take them into consideration.
A combination of outright restrictions and individual choices are taking parades, traditional trick-or-treating and big bashes off the table for October 31. Consequently, even people who normally do shell out the NRF’s estimated average of $86 and change for the day are expected to spend less this year, reports Market Watch.
But that doesn’t mean that October is a bust for marketing. On the contrary, there are opportunities to effectively target customers by understanding what this point in the calendar means to them.
An easy way of doing that is to figure out what kind of pumpkin they are: a jack-o’-lantern, an ordinary gourd, or pumpkin spice flavor?
Jack-o’-lantern marketing
https://p0.pikrepo.com/preview/471/304/jack-o-lantern-on-brown-surface-thumbnail.jpg
These customers are the prime target for straight-up, over-the-top Halloween marketing. Even among them, though, there are still distinct segments, and marketing should be targeted accordingly.
You have your customers who think of it as a celebration centered around children and who want the products and imagery to reflect that. Think cartoon-style ghosts and witches to go with your classic or plastic jack-o’-lantern.
For those at a different stage of life, Halloween may be about adult parties where alcohol is served and where the spookiness rating goes from G to R. Imagery for that is more realistic and possibly more risque.
How to know which witch to go with for your messaging? Segment your communication.
Plain pumpkin marketing
The picture above is from the Bed Bath & Beyond site. The classic harvest setup is the one that was chosen for the cover of the catalog it sent me with the “let’s get this fall rolling” emblazoned on it.
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How to Pick the Right Pumpkin for Your Marketing
