[Dr. TerrorEyes]

Hi Folks,

I was just sitting here wondering why certain corporations don't pro-actively support Halloween-related events (National Haunters Convention, Hauntcon, Spooky Empire, National Halloween Convention, TransWorld HCP, etc.

A recent Halloween Forum discussion reminded me of this fact. Perhaps I am misdirected, but I feel that one particular product is so dead-on perfect for aligning itself with the Halloween Enthusiast's "gotta-get-me-one-of-those!" Halloween-related product mindset, that I don't quite understand why they wouldn't want to be seen as a supporter at every single event that a Halloween fan might attended. That product is Crystal Head Vodka (maybe not so much for the luscious liquid, but certainly for the phenomenal bottle).

My understanding of the principle of marketing is: to get your product in front of your target audience as often as possible (the marketing term "frequency" comes to mind. (Otherwise, I doubt Lowe's wouldn't sponsor a NASCAR race team!)

As we Halloween Enthusiasts all know, we have a special zeal toward something that we deem special and worthy of our time and efforts...after all, we are all part the most significant chunk of the monetary driving force behind the second biggest retail "holiday" in the USA. (HERE is even more fun data.)

My final note here is this: What if we H. Enthusiasts each Emailed a brief: "We Halloween enthusiasts ask for your support, we can give you ours!" note to the distributor's executives (Diamond Estates), as well as Emailed Crystal Head site "Contact" page. Would that make them listen to Haunters?

Feel free to share your comments. In no way am I encouraging the reckless intake of alcohol; I am just expressing a personal thought.

 

[Johan]

Dan Akroyd is too busy going to every Costco in the country to market his product by selling himself rather than the natural answer that you have mentioned above.

 

[Gym Whourlfeld]

My "Take" on it.

Halloween and haunted houses have a large potential for advertising.marketing some products.
But what garners immeadiate, sensationlized news headlines?
When people screw up, things go wrong, people get killed or maimed, right?
20 years worth of safe success and community goodwill become hacked to pieces the second there is a tragedy and for many potential customers the affilliation with the seemingly ones responsible becomes instantly "Bad Business" for those sponsers.
For a couple of years about one person a season was getting severely crippled or killed on haunted hay rides, even though the 300 to 400 small children drowning each year in wadding pools in their own backyard gets ignored by the people screaming for legislation and safety patrols.
Add to this the" religious" anti-Halloween group out there who would possibly boycott a sponsers place of business or product ..just because.
Maybe LLoyds of London could insure a sponsering business against heavy losses if something went wrong, damamging their expensive investment in Halloween?
Maybe then it could happen?

 

[Yubney]

One real reason I would suggest is Halloween as we know it is primarily an American holiday. Most corporations are international, and so it's not cost effective to gear their money machines if it isn't global.

 

[osenator]

Halloween the way we decorate here, is only pratice by Christians and Catholics I think, so, the money to be made is limited, and mostly in North America, as mentioned above. But I could be wrong.

 

[Dr. TerrorEyes]

Hmmm....great points to ponder. I'd love more feedback and ideas.

 

[Eyegore]

Halloween the way we decorate here, is only pratice by Christians and Catholics I think, so, the money to be made is limited, and mostly in North America, as mentioned above. But I could be wrong.

Seeing as how Christmas is at least a three-month money maker and official determinant of retail business success or failure; it stands to reason that all corporations dump their support into this holiday. My theory as to why Halloween lacks corporate support and sponsorship is because they feel it's not worth their dime and time to do it. They still believe that because Halloween or Trick or Treat is a one night, usually a four hour event; it's more difficult to make finiacial sucess off of such a short "event".

I say event instead of holiday because national recognition and support of the holiday is STILL unresolved, People just don't get it! It's ironic to think that corporations are scared of Halloween! It seems they don't quite know how to deal with it!

 

[osenator]

I totally agree with you, Eyegore. Sadly, most people don't get Halloween, unlike Christmas is very easy to get into. I would beleive that the ratio of people spending on Christmas decorations compare to people that spend on Halloween decorations must be very different.

 

[Eyegore]

Halloween Forum has a banner ad sponsor that's goal is to help correct this problem!
You can check it out here www.halloweenarmy.org Great Site too!

 

[theedwin]

Well, Halloween is the second holiday for spending after Christmas, but if you compare pumpkins to pumpkins, I think that Halloween definitely does out do Christmas.

Halloween is about decorations, candy, costumes, movies, scary stuff whereas Christmas is about Trees, ornaments and especially GIFTS! GIFTS are the reason that Christmas is so popular. AND the reason there are so many sponsors.

At Halloween, you don't have to worry about getting your Great Aunt a pumpkin or a candy bar, but at Christmas you may have to worry that you didn't get her a gift. Or double worry that you didn't get her the "right gift".

I mean, seriously, how can you put up your best haunt against Santa Claus! (He brings gifts, you scare people!) LOL

Look at all the sponsors for Valentines Day or St. Patrick's day.

A company of any size can easily get behind a "loving holiday" or a "drinking holiday", and especially a "gift giving" holiday. But a "scary holiday"? OOH, Might offend someone!

 

[22606]

Halloween the way we decorate here, is only pratice by Christians and Catholics I think, so, the money to be made is limited, and mostly in North America, as mentioned above. But I could be wrong.

A fair amount of them are actually against the holiday, not for it, in case you haven't noticed. Check around the site here a little bit if you don't believe me... I don't mean any disrespect, just being honest.

 

[osenator]

I think thoses who are againts it, are in the minority, I hope (L). Sadly, I don't think there is a big percentage of north americans (canadians and americans) actuallty celebrate Halloween like we do. Most see it as one night per year of dragging the kids for free candy. NOT US! (L)

 

[Spats]

Where is the money during the Halloween season?

That is the question I would investigate if I were a corporation.

Costumes? Maybe. Kids are the biggest market for that, and the best sellers will be based on popular properties, such as movies and television programs. That market is fairly well covered.

Candy? The big boys all market heavily towards Halloween. Halloween is the annual economic watermark for many companies like Hersheys and Nestle. The candy companies already have their interests covered.

Decorations? Not much in the way of income. At best, 20% of homes decorate, and most of those still use the basic Jack O'Lantern as their main item - It's the Christmas tree of Halloween, the main focus of the family, carving and lighting the pumpkin.
Those companies that do offer decorations seem to cover the market well enough for the 20% that do decorate.

There is no "Everyone" aspect to Halloween.
See, everyone can get into the gift-giving aspect of Christmas. Every single store in the world has good cause to support the winter holiday season.
The other holidays?
Small department stores and craft stores are happy to fill a central aisle with the treats and decor of any season year round. That is good business.
Florists can get in on any celebration, and they do.
Service industries and raw good producers? What can they do with any holiday? At best the raw goods folks see a demand go up in the third and fourth quarters because of the impending Christmas shopping season.

The question is, what corporation would sponsor Halloween that doesn't already have it's interests looked after?
Where is the financial advantage in supporting Halloween?
What need is not being meet?
What product is not being sold?

And remember - every holiday has this issue. The only reason everyone supports Christmas is because everyone can sell anything as a potential gift. Christmas stands alone as a respected festival in the entire business world.

We decide which holidays we like.
If a festival satisfies a basic urge, it thrives, money and business have little to say.
As an example, Thanksgiving was a much larger holiday in the mid-20th century, as big as Christmas.
It was the harvest, and it was the biggest meal of the year in a time when cooking was far more common. The whole family came from miles around - it was more common to see family at Thanksgiving than Christmas. Heck you can mail presents. You gotta be there in person to pass the gravy.

Nowadays, Thanksgiving is a meal, a relaxing lunch before the madness of Black Friday. Christmas used to be twelve days, Dec 25th until Jan 7, called Twelfth Night.
Now, Thanksgiving is the first day of the Christmas season, and it ends on New Years Day.

We decided that, by our actions. It is how we chose to keep the calendar. No vote, no meetings, no declarations - we all just started doing it. Unspoken agreement.
The business world followed.
We made Black Friday, taking advantage of a day off after the harvest meal for our Christmas shopping. That was us, and the business world simply tagged along.

Easter is not as big as it once was. We as a society are deciding that.
Valentines Day is still popular, if a little more adult in it's focus. We decided that.
Mardi Gras is gaining popularity in communities that aren't even Catholic. There we go again, doing what we want.


As long as we love and celebrate Halloween, there will be businesses offering whatever they can to get our dollars for the season, have no fear, but until Halloween has a business-friendly ritual, like gift-giving or spending a certain amount of money on the 31st lest you suffer a curse, it will be ours to keep.
It will be of little interest to the corporations.

 

[osenator]

Well said, Spats.