Halloween Boosted Retail Profits Despite Economy
Partying Masked Money Worries
For the past few years, smart marketers have transformed Halloween from a one-day event to a three-month shopping spree and a time for incentive programs. The latter capitalize on the general air of celebration and help build customer and client good will at what is usually an auspicious time. Last year, companies did this in a big way. They were obeying the marketer's axiom of 'look after existing customers and clients because, if you do not competitors will grab them' makes especial sense. Now nobody wants to lose anything.
Mass merchandisers in the United States account for 69 percent of the $5 billion people spend on this ghoulish evening; now the United Kingdom and Japan are jumping on the bandwagon. The US National Retail Association refers to Halloween spending as "spooktacular". The second largest party after New Year's in much of the English-speaking world, it has supplanted Thanksgiving for many as the major pre-Christmas decorating event and become an entrepreneur's dream market.
Halloween Marketing Shifted To Adults
As much a celebration for adults as for children, Halloween marketing shifted to adults in the 1970s and by 1980 25 percent of US adults between 18 and 40 wore costumes; now 66 percent do. Canada follows the same path. England lags slightly.
Buying witch dolls to hang on the door and fake tombstones for the front yard begins in August, but mothers mostly don't give in to their kids' pleas to decorate the house until mid September. In the troubled 2009 holiday buying season, the early splurge on Halloween proved a blessing. However, Halloween temporary workers were out of luck as there was no last minute rush to encourage retailers to hire them.
According to Randall Rogfend on www.buzzelle.com, 'tower of death', glowing skeletons, skull clocks, giant spiders and death stones are among the most popular Halloween props and decorations people buy for parties.
Costumes for Dogs
This year's popular costumes for adults, have women showing more skin and dressing as Catwoman and young men dressing up as Michael Jackson or the Joker as well as the perennial video gaming favorite, Street Fighter Akuma. Balloon Boy, Falcon Heene, has captured some children's imagination and costume makers quickly rushed to make outfits from Mylar and cardboard. Some youngster, though will simply experiment with tinfoil. Pet stores sold decorative antlers and accessories as well as costumes for dogs; stingy homeowners dressed up Fido as a skunk to keep "trick or treaters" away.
What is it about Halloween? Maybe it's successful for being the one night when stressed-out people can wear outlandish costumes and let loose. They can be sexy, rude and obnoxious. Nobody will judge them.
In England, something was needed to replace the excited kids begging for "a penny for the guy" that accompanied the politically incorrect November 5th bonfire burning of a Guy Fawkes effigy. Fawkes tried to blow up parliament and assassinate King James I in 1605. Halloween, connected with the ancient Gaelic rites of Samhaine, fit the bill. Guy Fawkes masks still adorn faces but now on Halloween. With fireworks and bonfires accompanying tricking and treating, safety campaigners and environmentalists worry about fires.
Costumes Derive From 3000-Year-Old Aztec Practices
Modern Halloween skull and skeleton costumes derive from 3000-year-old Aztec practices and from Meso-Americans who keep and honor skulls of deceased relatives. On the Day of the Dead in many countries, people decorate relatives' graves and picnic on favorite foods beside them. Carlos Miller in The Arizona Republic wrote extensively on them (www.azcentral.com).
Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, harks back to the end-of-summer pagan celebration and the beginning of the new, dark half of the year. Back then people were hoping, that despite the then-new economic realities, it would not prove too dark.
Halloween Pumpkin
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Business & Finance
Latest Articles