Oct 29, 2026 · @Juli Anne Patty
What if the best marketing ideas don’t actually need a big budget? A look at some of history’s best Halloween marketing shows it’s definitely possible. With a good idea, perfect timing, and an easy way for people to play along, the following Halloween campaigns demonstrate that in this world full of overly serious, highly orchestrated marketing, sometimes the most effective thing you can do is delight and entertain.
Every October, brands get one night a year when being a little weird is the whole point. Some of them have used it brilliantly. Here are five of my favorites, what actually happened, and the lesson I'd steal from each one, whether you run a national brand or a shop on Main Street.
The five campaigns
1. Burger King dresses up as "the Ghost of McDonald's" (2016)
A Burger King in Rego Park, Queens, threw a giant white sheet over its building with eyeholes cut out and a sign that read "McDonald's." The tagline: "Booooooo! Just kidding, we still flame grill our burgers. Happy Halloween." It was one location and one bedsheet, and it ran in outlets from Fortune to NPR.
The lesson: A playful jab at the category leader can earn more attention than a media buy. Keep it good-natured. The "just kidding" punchline is what made it charming instead of petty, and it still slipped in a reason to choose Burger King. Personally, I’d have gone with “Just kidding, we still love your fries.” Compliment the competition and you look even more confident.
2. Burger King's "Scary Clown Night" (2017)
With the movie It dominating theaters, Burger King invited people to “Come as a clown and eat like a king” (poking fun at that iconic rival mascot) on Halloween night for a free Whopper. Clowns lined up, the internet filmed them, and the work went on to win at Cannes Lions.
The lesson: Join a conversation your audience is already having, then give them something to do, not just something to watch. A costume is a ticket to participate.
3. Burger King's "Nightmare King" (2018)
Burger King launched a green-bun sandwich with beef, chicken, and cheese and claimed it was "clinically proven to induce nightmares." It backed that up with its own sleep study. Was it rigorous science? Not exactly. Was it a story everyone repeated? Absolutely.
The lesson: A playful "study" turns an ordinary product into a headline. Data, even tongue-in-cheek data, gives the press and social media trend hunters a hook.
4. Reese's "Candy Converter" (2019)
Every kid knows the disappointment of a pillowcase full of candy nobody wants (me—Tootsie rolls. Yuck.). Reese's built a vending machine in New York City that took your unwanted Halloween candy and swapped it for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. (In 2020, Reese's followed up with a robotic Trick-or-Treat Door for socially distanced trick-or-treating.) Okay, so this one isn’t exactly NO budget, but you could steal the idea and find a low-budget way to execute.
The lesson: Find a small, universal annoyance and fix it in a way that's fun to film. If people relate to the problem, they'll share the solution.
Reese’s Candy Converter accepts unwanted candy, gives you a Reese’s in its place! Image credit: @foodlogistics
5. Heinz "Tomato Blood" (2021)
Heinz put its regular ketchup in a spooky, minimal bottle and called it Tomato Blood. The pitch was simple: if you have Heinz, you have a costume. It sold nationally and through a Halloween online store with costume kits.
The lesson: You don't always need a new product. Sometimes you just need a new name and a new use for the one you already sell.
The pattern you can steal
Strip away the logos and these five stunts run on the same three ingredients:
A cheap, clever idea. A bedsheet, a renamed bottle, a vending machine. None of these needed a Super Bowl budget.
Perfect timing. Each one rode a moment people already cared about, from Halloween itself to a hit horror movie.
An easy way to join in. Wear a costume, swap your candy, buy the "blood." The audience becomes part of the campaign.
That formula scales down beautifully. A local coffee shop can run a costume discount every year until it becomes a tradition. A small brand can rename a product for one week. A service business can poke gentle fun at "the big guys" in its category. Pick one ingredient you can pull off this week, and build from there.
Want more like this?
This is the long version of this week's 60-Second CMO tip. If you want one practical marketing idea in your inbox each week, sign up for The 60-Second CMO Weekly at juliannepatty.com.
Happy Halloween. Go be a little weird.
Juli Anne Patty, Fractional CMO
Sources
Burger King dresses up as McDonald's for Halloween (Business Insider, 2016)
Burger King: Scary Clown Night (YouTube)
Can Burger King’s ‘Nightmare King” Really Give You Bad Dreams? (Live Science)
Reese's Candy Converter machine (Food Logistics)
Heinz Tomato Blood (Marketing Dive)