A former New York Rite Aid store reopened as a Halloween spirit. Photo: Bing … [+]
Seasonal op-up retailer Spirit Halloween hit back Saturday Night Live earlier this week, just days after the comedy series aired a pre-recorded mock ad suggesting the costume shop takes over failed, abandoned storefronts and breathes new life into economically-hit communities — but for just six weeks before than to “dance”. The more than two-minute skit also poked fun at Spirit Halloween’s low-quality offerings, including, “disposable fog machines” and “celebrity costumes modified enough to avoid a lawsuit.”
On Monday, Spirit Halloween returned the favor, posting on social media a fake ad for an “SNL 50” costume, noting it was a “50-year-old TV Trivia Show” and included “Dated references, members Cast Unknown” and “Ratings Increase.”
It was like free advertising… TWICE
It could be argued that Spirit Halloween may have gotten the kind of publicity that money can’t buy—at least not cheaply. Although the mock ad was far from cute, it was essentially a free ad for the popular comedy show.
The costume shop’s response has also gone viral, both on social media where it has been reposted and viewed nearly a million times already, and then in mainstream media news reports. NBC News, Variety, The people, USA Today and Kotaku are just a handful of media outlets that have since released news on the SNL scene and Spirit Halloween’s strange post.
“We’ll have to see how that affects foot traffic and sales. But that kind of national brand awareness is very hard to build on your own. So the company will benefit,” suggested the social media analyst. Greg Sterling, founder of Near Media. .
“That’s not to say that a smart social campaign might not go viral. However, it’s much more likely to get their attention,” added Sterling. “When that happens, brands have to be ready to capitalize and play off the joke or meme, which they seem to have done somewhat.”
The timing of the SNL skit and the pop-up shop’s response come just as Halloween shopping is in full swing. Last year Americans were expected to spend over $12.2 billion during the dreaded holiday season, including $4.1 billion on costumes and another $3.9 billion on decorations according to a report by the BBC. Only Christmas sees higher sales, and Halloween spending has grown steadily in recent years — with no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Can Controversy Hurt a Retailer?
Although the mock SNL ad suggested that the products sold by Spirit Halloween are far from high quality, the fact remains that Halloween costumes tend to be somewhat disposable. Rather than trying to address everything the scheme suggested, Spirit Halloween instead offered its own critique of the state of the comedy show.
“Creating controversy gives the brand visibility, and given that Spirit Halloween is a pop-up store that only exists for a few weeks, that visibility is important for them to build store traffic,” the industry analyst said. of technology Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group.
“However, if this controversy damages trust in the store, then the opposite may also happen,” added Enderle. “So they have to reconsider the interest of getting people into stores without emphasizing the negative part of the SNL meme. By pointing out, with humor, that SNL is also vulnerable, it was an interesting move that created that interest without doing additional brand damage.”
As a result, the sketch and perfectly timed response can further boost sales this season.
“SNL has a much broader reach than Spirit Halloween,” Enderle noted. “So that should be much more effective than if they had ignored the SNL sketch and done a more traditional campaign.”
The social media response may end up being the most effective way to kick off the 2024 Halloween season and set the bar high for next year.
“In a way, this is high-impact product placement because it’s driving physical activity along with viral marketing through social media,” explained Susan Schreiner, consumer technology and social media analyst at C4 Trends. “It comes across as a well-orchestrated marketing campaign that hits all the touch points needed to drive traffic or sell a product. This is a great model for companies and communicators—how to create a viral success for a cool or exciting product, event or place.”