• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 30, 2024

Amid a predicted surge in Halloween candy sales, brands did all they could this year to make sure they land in America’s trick-or-treat pumpkins. A new analysis from iSpot finds that this October, candy brands spent an estimated $59.8 million on national linear TV ads, both non-Halloween and Halloween-themed ads. That’s up from $56.1 million last year.

S&P Global predicts that consumer spending on Halloween candy will grow 3.5% in 2024 to a record $4.1 billion. That’s about double what people spent on candy a decade ago and about $31 per household. Sales by volume are likely to increase by 2.4%, following declines of 10% last year and 3.7% in 2022

M&M’s, owned by Mars Wrigley, led the ad spending splurge, at $9.4 million, followed by Hershey’s spending on multiple brands, at $8.6 million; Kinder, at $7.1 million; Butterfinger, at $5.8 million, and Lindt, at $5.7 million.

Haribo, Snickers (owned by Mars), Reese’s (owned by Hershey) and Ghirardelli (a Lindt brand) also made the top 10.

By share of TV ad reach, which iSpot says is a combination of streaming and linear, the Hershey Company ruled, with16.2% of candy household TV ad impressions, followed by Kinder (14.7%). Butterfinger, owned by Ferrero, came next at 12.1%, followed by Haribo (8.4%) and M&M’s (8.2%.)

Meanwhile, M&M’s is already primed for the next seasonal push, announcing that Red, who has been feeling left out, is partnering with Amazon MGM Studios' holiday action film, “Red One.” He’s busy adding himself to movie posters, jumping into trailers and pleading his case with the film’s cast, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons. (Fun fact for candy fiends: Simmons is the voice of Yellow.)

“As the most talked about candy brand in entertainment, partnering with a soon-to-be holiday classic was a natural fit for the brand,” says Rankin Carroll, chief brand officer of Mars Wrigley, in the company’s announcement. “And considering our spokescandies are more recognizable than Santa, we enlisted the help of our crew, led by our beloved Red, to spread joy, M&M’S, and colorfully fun experiences throughout the holiday season.”