First it was Summerween and now, as the spooky season kicks into high gear, it’s all about Adultoween.
Ferrero North America, part of the Ferrero Group, recently released new survey findings revealing that Halloween is increasingly becoming a holiday for adults, not just children. The survey highlights how Halloween has evolved into a celebration for all ages, with adults increasingly joining in on the festivities. Candy remains an integral part of the tradition, especially for adults.
To learn more, Candy Industry Senior Editor Liz Parker Kuhn touched base with Neal Finkler, vice president of marketing for Ferrero Mainstream Chocolate portfolio.
Liz Parker Kuhn: Let's discuss the results of the Adults Halloween survey—were they surprising to you?
Neal Finkler: The results may have been surprising to some, but they weren’t a surprise to Ferrero, especially the Butterfinger brand. When it comes to holidays and special moments, we are well-connected with our fans, especially during Halloween. Over the past two years, we’ve really leaned into adults celebrating the holiday with things like the Butterfinger-Tini (adult cocktail), a Spirit Halloween partnership, [and] Halloween Skulls. This year we added Beetlejuice movie partnership and [we are] serving as the title sponsor of Heidi Klum’s epic Halloween party.
All these activations support adults celebrating Halloween more and more, which further validates the trend we uncovered – Adultoween, through our survey, which found 40% of adults said it was their favorite holiday, beating out Christmas and the Fourth of July.
LPK: How does Ferrero connect with chocolate fans of all ages?
NF: We are connecting with chocolate fans of all-ages through iconic brands beyond just Butterfinger. Our Kinder Joy’s Glow in the Dark Eggs, which tends to satisfy younger fans, and Tic Tac Trick or Treat are helping to attract a new generation of fans, especially amid seasonal moments.
LPK: How does the brand continue to innovate, such as with its Kinder Joy Glow in the Dark Eggs, and Tic Tac Trick or Treat product?
NF: In addition to these product innovations, the past few years we have launched a fun, unique 31 days of Halloween countdown calendar. Halloween is an exciting time for our business and each year presents an even larger opportunity for us to lead with new innovations while bringing back popular items. These calendars are a great opportunity to help new and loyal consumers celebrate Halloween all month long.
LPK: What partnerships does the Butterfinger brand embark upon for Halloween?
NF: This year one of our newest wins around the holiday for the Butterfinger brand was being one of the title sponsors for Heidi Klum’s 23rd annual epic Halloween party, which we announced just last week (Oct. 16). As one of the Title Sponsors, Butterfinger will provide attendees samples of the candy bars and the opportunity to sip on the Butterfinger-Tini for adults 21+ who are looking to celebrate with nostalgic flavors.
This is one of many Butterfinger collaborations this Halloween, as I mentioned the Beetlejuice collaboration and partnership with Spirit Halloween, which includes the sale of a Butterfinger costume. In our survey we found that almost half of adults plan to dress up (47%) and 36% actually say they dress their pets up, which our partnership with Spirit highlights with our Butterfinger dog costume!
While not directly related to Halloween, a fantastic new collaboration took place leading up to the holiday. We worked with Pop-Up Bagels to create a limited-edition bagel schmear. This opportunity came about through creative community management and social banter with the brand. We’re always looking for new and creative ways for our fans to enjoy Butterfinger and we were delighted to put a fun spin on breakfast.
LPK: What new products does the brand have for Halloween?
NF: We didn’t launch a new product for Butterfinger specific to Halloween this year, but we did announce the brand’s first product innovation in 10 years last week: Butterfinger Salted Caramel. Butterfinger Salted Caramel will be launching as a limited-time offering in April 2025. Since Ferrero acquired Butterfinger six years ago, we have upgraded the ingredients and packaging, backed it with its first major marketing campaigns in years, and executed award-winning activations around Halloween and gaming. Now seemed like the perfect time to put the full power of Ferrero’s craftsmanship and expertise to work with revealing this new innovation, and it further underscores Ferrero’s commitment to its growth and investment in North America.
Ferrero Group is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.
