1. Consuming and Celebrating on Halloween
National University, Bakersfield, California, USA
Ashley Bisek, Christina Cecil, Sharron Garza, & Johnathan Yung
PROJECT ABSTRACT: Halloween is a holiday that is known for parties, all things spooky, horror movies, costumes, trick or treating, and candy
consumption. In the United States holidays have gone from being family friendly events to a way for marketers to increase consumption. “Halloween is a multi-billion
dollar industry. It’s not because of the kids; it’s because shrewd marketers who saw the possibilities for selling the fright fest to adults ” (BrandLauncher.com, 2014).
The activities that we derive enjoyment from in regards to Halloween can be enjoyed at other times of the year. Halloween has become a way of providing an
experience to consumers. This paper will examine the holiday Halloween and all the consumer behaviors that take place as a result of this holiday. While making
purchases for holidays is nothing new, it is important to understand why we purchase these specific items. What meaning do these purchases have for us as
consumers?
Halloween Consumption
Celebration Plans For Halloween 2014 (National Retail Federation)
Conclusion
Based on consumer behavior the popularity of Halloween has increasing over the years. It is safe to
assume that we will continue to see an increase of consumption in relation to Halloween over the next
severalyears. With an increase in the use of social media sites such as Pinterest “34.2 % of Americans
will look for costume inspiration online. Nearly two in five (19.7%) of those impacted [by the economy]
will utilize their creative skills and make their own costumes rather than buying a new one this
Halloween” (Reynolds, 2014, p. 2). We also predict that with women’s costumes becoming sexier that
more women will look to make their Halloween costumes in the following years or even look to sites
such as Pinterest for inspiration for costumes that are more modest. The cultural context surrounding
Halloween has shifted its focus from children to adults “Halloween is multivocal and because of its
ambiguity is able to serve children, adolescents, and adults in different ways and with different meanings”
(Belk, 1990, p. 6).
Halloween is a holiday that is known for parties, all things spooky, horror movies, costumes, trick or
treating, and candy consumption. In the United States holidays have gone from being family friendly
events to a way for marketers to increase consumption. “Halloween is a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s
not because of the kids; it’s because shrewd marketers who saw the possibilities for selling the fright fest
to adults” (BrandLauncher.com, 2014). The activities that we derive enjoyment from in regards to
Halloween can be enjoyed at other times of the year. Halloween has become a way of providing an
experience to consumers. This paper will examine the holiday Halloween and all the consumer behaviors
that take place as a result of this holiday. While making purchases for holidays is nothing new, it is
important to understand why we purchase these specific items. What meaning do these purchases have for
us as consumers?
References
Belk, R.W. (1990). Halloween: an Evolving American Consumption Ritual. Advancesin
Consumer Research, 17, 508-517. Retrieved from
http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7058
Garza, S. (2015). Picture of Associate Network for Halloween.
National Retail Federation. (2014). Halloween Headquarters. Retrieved from
https://nrf.com/resources/halloween-headquarters
Pottker, J. (1995). Crisis in Candyland: Melting the Chocolate Shell of the Mars Family
Empire. Bethesda, Maryland: National P Books.
How the Marketers HijackedHalloween. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.brandlauncher.com/Business-GPS/Article/How-the-Marketers-Hijacked-
Halloween
Reynold, T. (2104). Record Number of Americans to Buy Halloween Costumes. National Retail
Federation. Retrieved from https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/record-number-of-
americans-buy-halloween-costumes