Halloween is one of the biggest times of year for candy brands. But this year, they’re taking a more subdued approach to TV advertising.
Cross-platform spend figures show that last year, candy brands spent $71.9 million on streaming and linear TV ads from Oct. 1-25. That figure was just $39.2 million in 2026, with a larger share – 58.6% vs. 55.8% – being allocated to streaming year-over-year as well.
The shift in spend doesn’t mean that candy brands are avoiding advertising altogether, though. Rather, they’re shifting to targeted, outcomes-based approaches.
And for what’s still appearing on TV, there’s a healthy diet of creatives from previous years.
Of the 20 most-seen linear TV candy ads this October, five debuted in 2024 or earlier (including the No. 2 and No. 3 most-seen). Why the emphasis on older ads?
iSpot SAGE data reveals that older spots like “Halloween Sounds of KitKat“ or “They Will Get You,” which stay in Halloween rotations year-after-year, are there for a reason: They’re effective with consumers.
The single highest-scoring theme for ads from brands like KitKat and Reese’s, that have clear Halloween creatives, is brand affinity (coming from respondents that already love the brand).
At a baseline, SAGE shows that both KitKat and Reese’s have high likeability and top-2 box purchase intent overall. But Halloween expands upon this inherent positivity about the brands, and draws out even more likeability from consumers.
In the case of Butterfinger, which added a new spot – “Headless Horseman Halloween” – that also introduced a marshmallow flavor with the seasonal messaging, the ad scored top-2 box purchase intent of 70%, capitalizing on brand affinity, seasonality and a new product tie-in. After debuting in 2025, that ad is the No. 1 spot in rotation once again this year in advance of Halloween.
Honing in on the top 15 Halloween-themed candy ads for October 2026, all outperformed candy & snack category likeability norms over the last 90 days. The most-seen of those (including ads from brands like Butterfinger, KitKat, Reese’s and Nerds) saw spots score likeability 15% higher than the norm.
With favorable results like that, it’s difficult to make the case that these brands should create many (or any) new Halloween ads at all.
Halloween Candy Ad Takeaways To Chew On
- Natural fit: Halloween ads’ seasonal fit is not forced. Candy is intrinsic to Halloween, so the holiday tie-in requires no creative stretch. Audiences reward that relevance.
- Humor lowers resistance: Many Halloween (and candy, in general) ads use absurdist comedy – like family pranks, or vampires living inside candy bars – that make the product appear fun instead of promotional.
- Repeatable format: These ads don’t rely on a celebrity or a complex message. It’s a simple Halloween scenario, with the product as the prize or punchline. That makes for low production risk and high seasonal payoff.