Wondering which brands are crushing it on TikTok this Halloween? You’ve come to the right place. TikTok, with its almost 2 billion users, is a brilliant marketing channel during the spooky season. The video-first app influenced 59% of users’ Halloween costume purchases and 42% of their sweets and chocolate purchases. Plus, the conversation around Halloween is loud.
#halloween has over 180.8 billion views, and #halloweenlook is currently trending at the time of writing. So what makes TikTok such a spooky place this time of year and how are some brands able to slay the game better than ever before?
It’s time to reveal all and show you how scarily good a campaign can be. So get ready to take plenty of notes.
Why is TikTok the perfect social platform for Halloween?
TikTok is about community. It’s a place where conversations start, people connect, and trends ignite. Because it champions short-form, entertaining content (entertainment is still the top category on the app), users are used to seeing highly visual, quality content – the perfect combination for Halloween TikTok aesthetics.
Having had a dip in Halloween celebrations in 2020 and 2021 (due to the global pandemic), young people were back in force last year, and it’s looking to be the same this year too. 18-24-year-olds are among the most likely to spend on the holiday, and since 70.2% of TikTok users are under the age of 34, it makes this social media channel a force to be reckoned with. So, how do you rise above the rest and create content treats that convert? Here’s the brand list you need to pay attention to.
1. Rimmel London
With #halloweenmakeup reaching 11.8 billion views on the app, it’s clear why beauty brands need to be making themselves visible on TikTok. The trick is how you do that effectively. Rimmel London has collaborated with influencers throughout the year, showcasing their products in new ways. 78% of TikTok users have purchased a product after watching TikTok creator content on it, and ads with creators on TikTok drove a 26% increase in brand favourability among social/video platform users. Rimmel London collaborated with influencers for their 2022 Halloween TikTok campaign, sharing creative makeup tutorials. But the key to them nailing these campaigns lay in one thing – trust.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
Rimmel London understood the power of influencers and, equally the power of their creativity. Letting each partner create their own makeup tutorial without a specific script allowed them to be truly themselves. This authenticity comes across to their followers and results in more genuine connections. A winning combination. Creators know how to create, so as a brand looking to get ahead on TikTok, you need to let them do what they do best. TikTok is a place for discovery and authenticity, so when you do your influencer activations, ensure you’re keeping this in mind.
2. M&Ms
M&Ms know that this holiday season is prime time for their product. But finding new and eye-catching ways to showcase it means thinking outside the box. 55% of TikTok users search for sweets and chocolate content on TikTok, making it a brilliant place for M&Ms. But the key here is not vanishing in the sea of other chocolate content. You need to think about your audience and what might catch their attention other than sweets.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
M&M could have worked with any influencer. They could have worked with a niche lifestyle influencer or perhaps influencers with kids to showcase trick or treating. But instead, they thought way outside the box.
Partnering with @sarahinoue a creator and artist, they went down a different path with their content. Sarah spends time designing a bag to put her M&Ms in, painting it carefully and in a fitting Halloween TikTok theme. Users commented things like “Can I get one pls?” and “Omg, I love that!”. It’s an action that engages her fans in the conversation instead of just screaming sales pitch.
They also partnered with musical theatre actor and creator @jjniemann where he showed his Halloween “set up” with the product in hand and the caption “Me getting ready to host a spooky movie night the moment there is a chill in the air”. With people commenting things like “I wish I could repost an ad😭😭” and “REAL” it’s clear it hit the mark on relatability. With @sarahinoue’s video reaching 4.7 million views and @jjniemann reaching 9.2 million views, the content is definitely working.
3. Ego
Fashion brand Ego has over 326k followers on TikTok, and their content tends to be a combination of fun looks and editorial content. This year however, they’ve gone all out promoting their Halloween attire. Partnering with numerous mid-tier influencers, they have shown their garments in full costume ideas. It’s the ideas part that’s really capturing attention.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
Ego is scarily good at drawing parallels with trending costumes and their own product line. Part of this has to do with the way they have created true inspiration for their potential consumers. Working with mid-tier and macro influencers, they bring attention to their Barbie outfit (a trending Halloween TikTok costume idea), Lara Croft and many more. But more than this, they’ve partnered with the right influencers who know how to edit like a pro. Their content is creative and cute and cut to the perfect length. Since Halloween TikTok costume ideas are such a big topic, it makes sense to get the pros to chime in on it. If a brand does it without the help of influencers, it doesn’t feel like genuine costume recommendations. So, work with influencers to provide short, visually dynamic content that taps into what the customer is looking for.
4. Discovery Plus
Bringing its Halloween TikTok strategy to life this year is Discovery Plus, a TV channel with a loyal following on TikTok. They post snippets of their programmes, with some getting millions of views. They have looked at influencer activations, too, creating more hype around certain shows. TikTok users who see creator-made content & trailers on the app are 1.3x more likely to recall the title of the TV show or film (vs. seeing just the trailer). That’s something Discovery+ has leaned into.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
You might associate Halloween with screams, but what about the giggles? This is a fun time of year when a lot of joy can be had. 71% of consumers watch videos on social media to laugh. So, getting influencers to create a funny skit around their shows was a genius idea. Collaborating with macro-influencer @celinaspookyboo and her partner, they created a hilarious video on the topic, showing them running home from a haunted forest back to the comfort of their sofas to watch Discovery Plus. Lean into humour this time of year and especially comedic creators.
5. The Inkey List
Halloween TikTok isn’t just about putting on makeup. It’s about taking it off too. In this campaign, they championed their oat cleansing balm to show how easy it is to take off even the toughest makeup. Showing off each influencer’s creative looks, they then proceed to remove every part of their design with the product. It’s video content that’s satisfying and fun to watch.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
Thinking about where your followers are going to be and what they are going to be doing during Halloween is key to this campaign. How can your product play a part in their Halloween journey? From putting makeup on to costume design to taking it off and self-care with a movie night in. You need to think about all frames of their life during the spooky season and work with influencers to create true inspiration.
6. Paramount Plus
Another streaming channel on this list. Getting fans to cosy up with fun Halloween shows is not that easy. In fact, series and TV programmes rank 3rd under film and music as TikTok’s favourite content. The point is you need to be eye-catching in a world that is so oversaturated with brands. And as a streaming service, going dramatic just makes sense.
Working with @hollymurraymakeup, they showcased their programmes in a high-quality, super creative video.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
Paramount Plus chose Holly because of her clear creativity and the quality of her videos. That is something you need to ensure you’re doing, too. Making high-quality content is key to catching people’s attention. Of course, choosing influencers who have a great eye for content will help you become scarily good at the task. Note how Paramount Plus works with a makeup influencer yet has nothing to do with makeup. Halloween is a time for brands to take risks and make content that turns heads. Leaning into influencers will help you achieve that consistently. Make sure that’s what you’re doing for to maximize your Halloween TikTok strategy.
7. Nova Beauty
Nova Beauty is a makeup and beauty brand showcasing their products on faces throughout their feed. Their content isn’t just beautiful; it’s educational, too, with tons of tutorials and how-tos for people to watch. Where they excel, though, is their understanding of TikTok. Although they are a growing company on the app, they utilise influencers, jump on trends and keep up with the times. It’s being up to date that makes all the difference.
Why their Halloween TikTok strategy works
Nova Beauty jumped on a trending Halloween sound of the Adam’s family in their 2022 collab with @natviolette. This video alone garnered 43.4K likes and 149 comments. Using trending sounds with your influencer collaborations can be an easy win for upping your brand awareness results. But the key is jumping on board before it starts to lose traction. This is where you need to be looking at the current trends and following other influencers. They are most likely to catch onto a trend before your brand. Working with influencers on trending campaigns can help boost UGC and continue the funnel to further prospects.
Don’t ghost your prospects, win them
TikTok isn’t about showcasing products. It’s about crafting a narrative that resonates. From Rimmel London’s emphasis on authentic influencer partnerships to Nova Beauty’s timely engagement with trends, the winning formula hinges on three pillars: authenticity, innovation, and timeliness. These brands provide not just a fleeting Halloween spectacle but a lasting blueprint for others to take note of. On TikTok, it’s not merely about being part of the conversation but about forging memorable connections. Is the thought of it giving you chills?
Goat is the leading global influencer marketing agency. Over the past eight years we’ve scaled some of the most exciting brands in the world. Find out more about our expertise, and how we can help your brand ahead of spooky season!
