Halloween. Celebrating the last day of summer marked by October 31^st. A Celtic tradition stemming from ages ago that made its way across the Atlantic back in the day and was cheered on by many Irish immigrants coming to the US of A. Americans being the Americans they are made this custom into a Las Vegasesque extravaganza, even though I’m kinda missing a yearly fan favorite song by Mariah Carey about Halloween. Maybe next year. Who knows? Along the way, John Carpenter made the day infamous by directing a tear-jerking movie about the torn relationship between a boy called Michael trying to reconnect with his sister (portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis), who clearly has issues with keeping her voice down. Fun bit of trivia, Carpenter wrote the famous suspense piano theme all by himself.

Now Halloween has made its way all the way back to continental Europe. I’m assuming not by the steamship as it was in the past, but by means of modern-day aircraft. Maybe even got an upgrade onboard. Either way, kids are popping up end of the street dressed in whatever is popular on Netflix or the Cartoon Network. Loads of Star Wars Jedi knights, Marvel superheroes, ghosts and goblins roam the streets, imploring you to throw in as much candy as you’ve got into their basket or big shopper bag. And it’s not just the kids, adults also have picked up on the tradition to get wasted dressed up like nurses, Star Trek characters and Squid Game guards in each other’s back yard.

Obviously, an amazing opportunity for brands to get involved. It’s a perfect way to showcase you are connected to popular culture and can engage with audiences in the right way. Even better, it’s those moments where you not only take on your competitors, but it is also a race of arms between all brands. Doesn’t really matter if you are selling deodorant or beverages, this is your moment to shine. This is where the fun begins, or at least for the spectator. Marketers wake up, start calling and whatsapping their account managers as they themselves got emails and whatsapps from higher ups whether they’re coming up with something (extraordinary) to jump in on the Halloween action. Copywriters and art directors are pushed to drop everything they’ve got as on the 31^st that Insta post needs to go out. And is it then also popping up organically on Facebook and Snap? Media, do we need to push media, or should we leak it to a marketing journal? Blood (how appropriate at Halloween), sweat and tears, frantic approval processes and torn relationships lead to a 1 -2 hour delayed post that finally goes live, not at the same time on all social channels, but goes live. Mission accomplished.

The weird thing is, Halloween has been around for more than thousand years. It has always been connected to October 31^st, so kinda hard to miss. Same goes for Xmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter, back to school (September) and so forth. By now, we should know. One could argue you could brief an agency for all those moments in October and have them ready on the shelve for the coming year. Retort comes in that it’s not in the plans, but you know that I know that we both know when push comes to shove, people want those creative assets made in the end. So why not actually foresee this, plan it, have fun relaxed sessions months prior and make it all smooth sailing? It’s about stepping up and making an effort to look ahead rather than only what’s in front of you next month. That’s what markers and their agencies should be doing. Or at least, create an atmosphere where people are encouraged to be mindful and give some thought about what is to come. Every now and then, just spend 15 minutes looking out the window, free up your mind from today’s toils and look ahead. It’s so refreshing.

By the way… ready for Black Friday?