Heading into the weekend, several brands hoped that a little Halloween buzz would convince consumers to put down the candy and pick up a restaurant meal.
GIF and video posts were king among brands this All Hallows’ Eve, underscoring how well those those mediums play on social channels, particularly when food is involved:
Boo. pic.twitter.com/nBg5VCvfRp
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) October 23, 2015
The best deal of the year is coming alive for #Halloween at SONIC. Plan accordingly. #fiftycentdogspic.twitter.com/5tX0r9icVA
— Sonic Drive-In (@sonicdrivein) October 30, 2015
In the spirit of Halloween, we’re dressing up our pink spoons. Show us how you decorate yours! #SpoonCostumepic.twitter.com/jznVtPtNZ7
— Baskin-Robbins (@BaskinRobbins) October 30, 2015
Static images had a strong showing, too:
The most popular house on the block. #HappyHalloweenpic.twitter.com/gq7hBoDLkk
— Arby's (@Arbys) October 30, 2015
Feast your eyes on our monsters, then tell us if you’ll be delighting (or frightening) people this Halloween. pic.twitter.com/s7lRun1LZb
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) October 28, 2015
And some brands went with a simpler, yet effective, text approach:
Weekend agenda: eat pizza, eat candy; eat leftover pizza, eat leftover candy.
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) October 30, 2015
We’re thinking about dressing up as Monday. #NothingScarier#HappyHalloween#Halloweek
— TGI Fridays (@TGIFridays) October 30, 2015Social media scorecard:
Novelty: 2
Spinning holiday content for social should be second nature for brands, but when done in a quirky or highly visual way (see Pizza Hut and Sonic, above), it goes from requisite to reaping benefits—resulting in greater brand awareness and increased social-media engagement.
Imitate-ability: 9
All that’s needed is a little imagination.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.