While going door-to-door for candy may be a relatively new phenomenon. In the ritual of trick-or-treating U.S. candy, consumes and merchandising makers have discovered countless ways to make money marketing both sweets and terror, making billions of dollars a year.
1. The Origins
Halloween’s origins lie in ancient customs regarding death or the praying for souls. Its origins can be found in ancient Celt, Christian and Roman cultures. Modern day Halloween, far from being a festival focused on the negative side of death or souls in purgatory is now embracing a fun side which is reveled in throughout various countries worldwide.
2. “The spooky factor”
Despite Halloween seemingly being obsessed with ghosts, goblins and ghouls, it reflects modern society’s fascination with all things spooky. Interest in the paranormal in the last decade has reached a high and we are constantly watching films, television series etc…Why not revel and enjoy this natural human fascination?
3. We love to be scared
We love to be scared and there’s a real adrenalin kick out of being frightened, but we then laugh about it afterwards. People running around on Halloween in scary costumes immerse themselves into that fear fascination and also our laughable reaction.
4. It’s fun for Kids.
Kids love spooky stuff. You only need to look at children’s television, or visit the children’s section in a local library to see children have a voracious appetite for zombies, ghosts, ghouls, demons and everything weird and wonderful. Dragging the kids away from television and having a Halloween party involving costumes and decorations is something they love!
5. Trick or Treat
Halloween it has become a wonderful neighbourhood activity in some areas. Parents walk their children around the local community and watch as they beg for sweets…or tricks!!!!! kids like dressing up too!
“The American marketing strategy”
A very attractive market for European companies to make succulent dividends too, sweets, scary masks, costumes, clothing, candles and even specially marketed perfumes, Halloween is a huge profitable business, thus from the marketing point of view Europe was forced to adapt and incorporate American party customs in order to compete against its Anglo-Saxon counterparts and get a piece of the cake.
Whilst Christmas is the most profitable season of all, Halloween is just one day!!! Thus the marketing campaigns are as aggressive as they can be offering all sort of “terrific” deals and encourage people of all ages to dress up, go out and have some fun scaring friends and relatives around.
China plays a key role for european markets being the major exporter of wholesale Halloween customers and merchandising, the reduction on wholesale prices together with the cheap production cost makes China the ideal provider for “hungry-profits” European retailers.
So go on run to your nearest Chinese shop, jump into a horrifying outfit, top it up with some terrifying accessories and scare as many people as you can in the most American way… At the end of the day it’s fun for some and very lucrative for others!!!!!!.
