Retail Media Got Sweet on Halloween Candy

Candy Impressions Reached an All-Time High This Halloween

Total retail media impressions in the candy category soared to 508M in October, nearly tripling last year’s Halloween volume. The spike was led by a first-of-its-kind Hershey campaign at Instacart, promoting $0 delivery fees on Halloween treats. The campaign was the largest of the season overall and the largest Candy activation on record at Instacart.

Most other retail media networks (RMNs) saw major YoY growth as well, including Target (+167%), Dollar General (+147%), and Walmart (+69%), underscoring Halloween’s growing importance in an increasingly competitive candy landscape on retail media.

The Candy Landscape Looked Different at Each RMN

The competitive landscape varied across RMNs in October, as candy advertisers leaned into retailer-specific strategies. At Walmart, for example, Mars claimed 48% of total candy impressions, edging out Hershey with a “Scary-fast free delivery” campaign prominently featuring Snickers and Twix.

Amazon’s brand mix was particularly distinct, with a large share of impressions falling outside of the top four candy advertisers. Messaging at Amazon tended to skew more evergreen and conversion-focused, with less ties to Halloween compared to other RMNs. NeuroGum led the pack, promoting Prime Big Deal Days savings on their functional gum and mints.

Reese’s Topped the Candy Charts This Halloween

Reese’s earned 162M retail media impressions this October, nearly 5x more than the next closest brand, Nerds. The bulk of that activity came from the Hershey’s campaign at Instacart promoting candy delivery.

Nerds and Sour Patch Kids secured the next two positions thanks to a feature in Target’s Circle Week campaign, which promoted “BIG” savings with a 40% discount. Target’s creative leaned into exaggerated scale, featuring huge bags of Nerds and giant cans of pumpkin spice whipped cream.

Most Halloween Messaging Followed Three Key Themes

Three messaging pillars shaped this year’s Halloween candy campaigns: delivery, discounts, and no shortage of spooky wordplay. Most ads featured an assortment of candies rather than one individual brand, often spanning multiple parent companies.

Delivery messaging was led by Instacart and Walmart, who both emphasized convenience while offering $0 fees on your first order.

Outside of delivery, most other campaigns highlighted discounts on Halloween essentials, like Walgreen’s “20% off $45+” offer, and Target’s Circle Week promotions.

No matter the promotion, Halloween wordplay cast a wide spell across creatives, from “scary-big savings” at Target to “scary-fast” delivery at Walmart. Five Below urged shoppers to “Bleed Halloween…not your wallet!”

Looking ahead, brands may find opportunities to stand out by moving beyond these creative formulas.

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