It’s almost Halloween. Americans are set to spend $2.8 billion on costumes this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
But here at Digiday, we’re all about saving you money. Not really, but don’t be one of those schmucks that goes out and buys a $59.99 “sexy Olaf” costume. Instead, delight your ad friends and irritate your normal ones with these marketing-themed costume ideas from top creatives.
Josh McGuire, creative director, Tribal Worldwide, New York
Costume Idea: Matthew McConaughey from the Lincoln commercials
What you need: White shirt, black tie and a steering wheel cover
Walk around with the steering-wheel cover in one hand, and, in the other, make tiny rolling motions with your thumb and first two fingers — like you’re rolling an imaginary tiny tennis ball. As you mingle, only say things like “I know there are those who say you can’t go back. But yes, you can. Just have to look in the right place,” “That’s a big bull,” and “1,800 pounds of ‘Do whatever the heck I want.'”
Jen Stocksmith, creative director, Tribal Worldwide, New York
Costume idea: Linkbait
What you need: Fishing lure, cut out piece of Web “content”
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
Stick lure on head, then haphazardly stick inflammatory content, news or video grabs on your body. Talk about how many shares you’ve gotten this week.
John McClaire, creative technologist, The Martin Agency
Costume idea: Zombie QR code
What you need: Face paint, fake blood, ripped clothes, box and a QR code you can generate from QRStuff.com
Some trends, for some God forsaken reason, just will not die. One gimmick used way too often in advertising is the QR code. It’s like a toothless zombie — relentless, annoying and unproductive.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos2
Evan Thompson, senior copywriter, The Martin Agency
Costume idea: Sponsored post
What you need: A square frame and a marker
Write “sponsored post” on the bottom of the frame, throw on a branded t-shirt. Any will do. Collect compliments.
Neel Williams, associate creative director, The Martin Agency
Costume idea: The Grim Prankster
It’s just like the Grim Reaper, but you carry around a tombstone that reads “Prankvertising” because, you know, that stuff is so dead now.
I-Ping Chiang, art director, JWT New York
Costume idea: Viral banner ad
What you need: A thermometer, cardboard and yellow “quarantine” tape
Draw a banner ad on cardboard, wrap the tape around yourself, and put the thermometer in your mouth. Infect people by touching them as you walk around.
DDB California
Costume idea: Agency Spy
What you need: A giant sandwich board and an attitude
Walk around criticizing others’ costumes and get personal. Really personal.
More in Marketing
In the marketing world, anime is following in the footsteps of gaming
As marketers look to take advantage of anime’s entry into the zeitgeist, they might be wise to observe the parallels between the evolution of anime as a marketing channel and the ways brands have learned to better leverage gaming in recent years.
With the introduction of video ads and e-commerce, Roblox looks to attain platform status
Roblox is expanding into more areas than just ads in 2024. Much like platforms such as Amazon and Facebook have transcended their origins to evolve from their origins as online marketplaces and social media channels, Roblox is in the midst of a transformation into a platform for all elements of users’ virtual lives.
PepsiCo wants to remain a ‘driver of culture’ as it turns to influencers and activations amid rebrand
The soda-maker says it can translate cultural relevance into sales volume.
Ad position: web_bfu