Halloween is built on frights and horror. As usual, companies of all sorts have been getting in on the action, carving out their seasonal face in campaigns.
The tie-ins to the spookiest time of the year involve special deals and branding. But I’m also reminded that many marketers routinely lean on scare tactics and trick-or-treat strategies. Here are just some ways it happens year-round.
1. Worst-case scenarios
In the movies, we all know the trope of being stranded in a remote cabin with a serial killer on the loose. Marketers have their own version. Dangers lurk everywhere, and if you don’t buy their product, you won’t be protected.
It’s not just about insurance and security systems, but everything from household disinfectants to anti-aging creams. The message is that you and how you live are never good enough. There’s always monsters under the bed. Anxiety and imagined perils sell.
2. Fear of missing out
FOMO is real in the ad world – think “limited time offer”, “while supplies last”, “ends soon”, “last chance”, “today only”, etc. It’s the scare of scarcity.
3. More trick than treat
Much like a box of raisins tossed in your goodie bag instead of a chocolate bar, brands can disappoint. In this case, with overhyped products, customer experiences that don’t match claims and service that disappears post-sale – like you’re being ghosted.
4. Hidden shocks
Haunted houses have surprises around every corner. With some offers, the hidden costs, surcharges, processing fees and other add-ons are enough to make you scream.
5. Creepy content
Like a zombie, vampire or werewolf, it’s not quite human – the AI-generated content that can suck the life out of messaging.
Fashion retailers are using digital models. Snack giant Mondelez is using generative AI to create ads. And a Google Cloud summarynotes how everyone from grocery chains to surf companies are employing AI to write radio spots, craft differentiated product descriptions, and create back-of-pack copy (and even jokes) when fed guidelines on tone of voice.
Sure, it saves time, but it’s mimicking and recycling, the equivalent of a reanimated corpse with no heartbeat or soul.
6. Phantom deals
Buy now and pay later, pay no interest, spread your payments over just 104 easy instalments. These tactics prey on the impulse for instant gratification. You get your new toy now, but when that sugar high has faded the cost may haunt you.
7. Price illusions
A discounted price can look like a great deal next to an initial higher price – one that would never be charged in the first place. Price anchoring casts a spell on bargain-hungry consumers.
That’s seven, and there are plenty of other examples of sales sorcery and marketing mischief that emerge from the corporate crypt. So it’s worth admiring organizations that appeal to genuine desires and needs instead of fears, offer their customers treats that exceed expectations, and remain transparent and unmistakenly human.
One more thing – if anyone wants to engage me for writing, act fast before my pen runs out.
Stuart Foxman is a Toronto-based freelance writer, who helps clients’ products, services, ideas and organizations to come alive. Connect with me here on LinkedIn, or check me out at foxmancommunications.com where I share these blogs too. More original posts coming regularly about communications, information, motivation, writing, branding, creativity, media, marketing, persuasion, messages, learning, etc.
October 29, 2025