Social Media Round Up – Halloweeners

Halloween is the holiday I look forward to most every year. Between the silly costumes to the scary movies and everything in between, it’s fueled by nostalgia and debates on whether Hocus Pocus is a great movie or not. (It is, don’t lie to yourself.) Brands over the years have had some great content that corresponds with the holiday, and some not-so-great content as well. So, what helps differentiate the great from the not so great? Let’s look at some of the brands that exceeded expectations this year to get a better idea.

DUNKIN DONUTS

This year, these guys had a crazy amount of Halloween content. Not only did they post a large number of bright, colorful photos and GIFs that feature their products, but they also held a costume contest on social. Using the hashtag #DDCostumeContest and ending on Halloween day, there were almost 800 entries into the contest, which is a lot considering how many people are actually willing to dress up as a donut or a cup of coffee.

The best part about the content that Dunkin Donuts used, however, was how well it was tailored to the individual channel it was posted to. On Twitter, they shared content that other people are likely to share, and retweeted content posted by fans of their page. On Instagram, boomerangs, UGC, and albums were all utilized. And finally, on Facebook, the content had a handful of videos that showcased crafts and ideas for the holiday that provided stopping power in the newsfeed. Overall, I think they did a phenomenal job promoting their content while still being timely and relevant.

PETCO

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba6tcwoALD4/?taken-by=petco

Dogs. Do I even need to say more? Petco knows their target audience and uses it to their advantage. For Halloween, they shared a handful of content filled with adorable pets in cute or funny costumes and relevant situations. Not only do pet owners tend to be animal lovers, but they ESPECIALLY love their own pets.

Petco’s choice to predominantly share UGC on their channel was brilliant, because they will never run out of content from the thousands of pet lovers that want to see their animal showcased online. Halloween is no exception in this situation, as Petco continues to share these wonderful pictures of pets, but now they are also able to share images of pets in costumes that they sell. Not only does this help show the costume or accessory in a normal setting, but it also lets people know what Petco has available.

TARGET

It seems like Target got started on Halloween early this year. While a lot of brands will choose to post seasonal content at the beginning of fall and touch on Halloween a couple days before, Target posted their first piece of Halloween content on August 31st this year. And honestly? It completely makes sense for them. As a retail store, they are top of mind when it comes to Halloween items because they are ahead of the game, and they make people aware of what types of items they have for purchase. More than likely, when they began to stock their shelves with Halloween items was when they began to post Halloween content, and I for one know I purchased all my ghost socks and pumpkin-shaped candy dish there this year.

Target is always on point with their holidays, even touching on the smaller ones like #TalkLikeAPirateDay. While they didn’t seem to heavily display their Halloween content on all their channels this year, they still had several posts on each owned channel and Twitter seemed to accurately hit their target. Their content resonates well with their audience because it doesn’t only share the voice and personality of their consumers, but it also showcases products that can be purchased in store rather than just stock imagery.

STARBUCKS

https://www.instagram.com/p/Batk0fEB2dH/?taken-by=starbucks

These guys generally nail their content overall, but it’s great to see that they continue that trend through holidays. Not only do their drinks and food look appetizing, but the Halloween content blends in well with the rest of the content on their page. Between the unique drinks like this Zombie Frappuccino to an animated Halloween-themed drawing on one of their cups, they maintained visual consistency in their imagery. None of what they created looks out of place or forced, and it gets you in the mood for your next pumpkin spice latte.

 

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