HALLOWEEN IN JULY. HOW BRANDS STRETCH SEASONALITY AND CONSUMER EMOTIONS

Just a few years ago, the topic of Halloween would timidly appear in mid-October. Today, in the era of “Christmas in July” and “summerween,” the first pumpkins in marketing communications may show up as early as July… or even April. The boundaries of seasonality are beginning to blur, and brands are increasingly testing how long they can keep people in a festive mood. The trend originated in the U.S., where marketing has long known no empty weeks. In Poland, this rhythm is still taking shape, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that our marketing calendar, too, is no longer ruled by dates but by successive seasons: Carnival, winter break, Easter, May holidays, summer vacations, back to school, Halloween, and finally Christmas.

According to data from Epsilon, in 2025 one in five consumers declared that they would start their Halloween shopping as early as November or December of the previous year, and as many as 61% between April and June. Only 38% planned to wait until October – a 28% drop compared to 2024. The early Halloween trend is also confirmed by Google Trends data, searches for phrases like “Halloween costume” start rising as early as late August.

From a communication perspective, an earlier start to the season means several important changes. A campaign stretched over time requires better narrative planning and sustained engagement. Brands increasingly compete to be the first to “own” the Halloween mood of their audiences. New campaign windows are also emerging: “pre-Halloween” in August, “core Halloween” in October, and “post-Halloween” in November, when brands offer discounts or ideas for reusing decorations.

Some brands already have a great feel for this rhythm. Home Depot in the U.S. last year held a “Halfway to Halloween” sale in April, featuring giant skeletons available online. Fanta, on the other hand, launched social media teasers for its Halloween edition drinks as early as August. Jano Cabrera, Communications Director at FMCG company General Mills, called the early fall-Halloween accents “the Pumpkin Spice Latte rule,” referencing Starbucks’ teaser campaigns for its autumn coffee line, which begin before the end of summer.

As with any trend, it’s easy to overdo it. Starting communication too early can backfire: audiences may get bored with the theme before the season begins, the uniqueness of the holiday can fade, and media interest tends to drop as the topic starts to feel “played out.” In Poland, this trend is still developing, but it’s a good time to ask: does early mean effective? Halloween campaigns show that decisions about timing and communication intensity should be data-driven, based on social media sentiment analysis, search trends, and moments of peak interest. In Poland, an additional factor is the still ambivalent attitude toward Halloween, which means that the narrative should be more humorous, pop-culture-inspired, and light-hearted rather than overly “scary” or dark.

There was a time when “once a year” truly meant a special occasion. Today, that notion seems to be stretching across half the year — and perhaps that’s the new definition of modern seasonality. On the other hand, many of us already feel like time has completely gone off the rails, so maybe “once a year” really would be far too short for us now.

Sources:

https://www.epsilon.com/us/insights/blog/halloween-marketing-insights

https://www.campaignasia.com/article/summerween-why-michaels-home-depot-and-general-mills-are-launching-fall-campaig/498189

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/21/food/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-launch-date-2024/

https://nypost.com/2024/05/01/business/home-depot-sells-out-of-viral-halloween-skeleton-before-summer/