As adults go all-in on an extended Halloween season, Ferrero North America’s Neal Finkler examines ways retailers and brand owners can help them celebrate.
Washington — If your approach to Halloween only considers trick-or-treating and school parties, you’re missing a growing chunk of the candy consumer: Adults.
Skeptical? Think about your local Spirit Halloween store that seems to be popping up earlier and earlier each year. And is it just me, or is the kids’ section shrinking? Fewer Paw Patrol costumes, and more scary animatronic clowns, punch bowls with spiderwebs, and costumes based on memes and reality shows. Photos from Heidi Klum’s party are more anticipated than classics like The Great Pumpkin or Spookley the Square Pumpkin (it’s true – check out Google Trends).
Gen Z and Millennials have been ‘kid-dulting’ for years, bringing a play mentality into their daily lives and engaging with favorite childhood characters and activities in different ways. It comes to life across industries, from creative charcuterie boards (adult Lunchables), to firing up ExciteBike on the Nintendo Switch, to seasonal celebrations like Halloween. Last year’s spooky season was longer than ever: first came Summerween, then Pinkoween, all driven by consumers carrying the spirit of Halloween into their adult lives.
Is Adultoween Really A Thing?
As we observed these cultural markers of adults embracing spooky season, the team at Ferrero North America also noticed last year that adults were driving the growth of Halloween Butterfinger sales. Wanting to learn more about this insight, the company commissioned a survey that confirms that ‘Adultoween’ is indeed a thing.
Based on new and owned data, the company found that 69 percent of adults plan to buy candy this year, regardless of whether they expect trick-or-treaters, and 40 percent of adults say Halloween is their favorite holiday, even surpassing Christmas!
The holiday is being embraced by adults, who are making it their own all year round and celebrating in more sophisticated, personal, and grown-up ways. Besides giving Santa a run for his money, what else was uncovered?
- Halloween Enthusiasm Is Driven By Nostalgia — Halloween isn’t just about giving and receiving candy; it’s a chance to get creative and nostalgic. In fact, 77 percent of adults feel nostalgic about their childhood trick-or-treating days, which has adults reliving those moments as grown-ups. Ferrero partnered with Warner Bros to celebrate an anticipated reboot of an ’80s classic: Beetlejuice. As part of the promotion, the company worked with a bar in Los Angeles that served up the ultimate Beetlejuice-themed experience to celebrate the movie’s premiere with Butterfinger-tinis, Butterfinger shooters, and fun-sized candy bars. It made for the perfect combo of nostalgic treats with adult-like activities.
- It’s Not Just Candy – It’s Also Costumes — The survey also revealed 47 percent of adults plan to dress up for Halloween, and 36 percent dress up their pets. Butterfinger teamed up with Spirit Halloween to drop Butterfinger-themed costumes for both adults and their furry friends, resulting in brand fandom — something that’s become more and more difficult to obtain with increasingly crowded channels online of brands vying for white space.
- Experiences Are The Heart Of Adultoween — Experiences are key for this group of consumers, capturing the holiday spirit in new ways. According to a recent consumer report from RR Donnelly, 49 percent of Gen Z and 45 percent of Millennials prioritize meaningful moments and experiences over material possessions. With this in mind, Butterfinger turned to the Queen of Halloween herself and became the title sponsor of Heidi Klum’s legendary party last year, providing adults with fun ways to enjoy the flagship brand. Guests were offered the chance to sip on the Butterfinger-inspired cocktails. The original adult cocktail was created with Millennial influencer Tinx to which one of her 613K followers replied saying, “name a better duo I’ll wait . . .”
What About The Rest Of The Year?
Much of the treats business relies on capturing peoples’ attention during special seasons, and there are plenty throughout the year.
Look for ways adults are engaging with play and nostalgia around other holidays. Just this past Christmas, one of the most recommended gifts for Dads was the Nintendo Switch instead of a classic tie or grill. Retailers and brands should always consider how to incorporate nostalgia into the aisle during these moments with creative licensing opportunities, just like Krispy Kreme and Hulu’s recent special line of doughnuts inspired by classic movie snacks.
Go beyond the obvious treating moments. Find ways to get your products and promotions to go beyond the Easter basket and on the brunch table, such as an Easter-themed charcuterie board with cookies, cake pops and macarons.
Remember, all seasonal moments are about experiences. This is especially true of Millennial fans, who are looking forward to drinking hot chocolate and cutting down trees more than receiving new materialistic gifts. Prioritize the consumer insight, followed by the sought-after experience, and then comes the product innovation, licensing agreement, or limited-edition treat.
As with Halloween (or even “Summerween?”), all holiday seasons are creeping up earlier and earlier, so get your plans solid soon, and don’t count out adults! We love fun and sweets too!
Contributor Info: Neal Finkler is vice-president of marketing for Ferrero North America. He has more than 15 years of experience in consumer marketing and general management. In his current role, he oversees the team responsible for bringing the Butterfinger brand to the next generation of consumers. He can be reached at hugh.mcmullen@ferrero.com.
