Scary Halloweenie

A NY Times article on Friday spoke about how marketers are ready to put the horror back in America's spookiest holiday...

Over the last five years advertisers have laid off a bit due to people being more scared in daily life from threats of terrorist attacks and war. But this year advertisers are taking a different approach, trying to scare people "who are immune to being scared," as Candace Corlett, a principal at WSL Strategic Retail put it.

Some current spook factors going on right now:
Universal Orlando is featuring gruesome Halloween Horror Nights this year, and the ABC Family channel is promoting themed programming under the title "13 Nights of Halloween."

Fox is playing with the added interest in Halloween but keeping it fun. They are running a contest in which viewers are encouraged to produce a commercial to promote their annual Simpson's Halloween episode, "Treehouse of Horror."

Consumers can win prizes for visiting the site and making a spot for the show that is as mild or frightening as they wish.

Halloween is a great time of year for marketers to have fun with scary, and this year will surely bring it's spooky moments.