Now that the Factor 50 and the buckets and spades have been packed away, and the kids are more or less ready to head back to school, many brands will now be thinking of Halloween, which is rapidly approaching, writes Caroline Decourcy.
Halloween has always been a creative playground for marketers. The opportunities are endless, bold visuals, playful puns, and a ready-made theme that audiences genuinely enjoy. But if we only approach Halloween as a design challenge, we’re missing where the real opportunity lies.
Halloween in Ireland, is no longer just a one-night event. It’s the mid-term break. Schools are closed, families are travelling, young people are out, and plans are being made right up to the last minute. It’s not just a one-day moment, it’s a full week of movement.
This year our research shows:
- 35% are planning domestic travel – either day trips (18%) or staycations (16%)
- Over ½ plan to visit shopping centres
- 81% planning to use public transport
- 43% planning to spend more this Halloween
- 47% won’t book their Halloween plans until September or later
- And according to Nielsen, in 2024 spend on Halloween treats was an additional €12.9m vs 2023.
Moving beyond seasonal stats, these are now behavioural signals. We know we say it all the time, but the opportunity lies in the moments. Halloween is growing in cultural and commercial significance, and with that, audience behaviour shifts. For advertisers, the opportunity now lies in the context.
Ask yourself the following questions. where are people going? Where are they making decisions? How can media intercept them at moments that matter?
OOH is built for exactly this. It’s physical, public and behaviour-led. It connects with audiences in transport hubs, retail destinations, roadside, and city centres. It meets people as they move.
We’ve already seen brands turn this into impact, using formats that don’t just look seasonal but behave seasonally, adapting to time, light, and location. A standout example is Fanta’s UV glow-in-the-dark wall mural, which lit up city centre streets aligning perfectly with audience behaviour and mood.
Caroline Decourcy is Effectiveness Director with Talon
