Halloween is Saturday, and I have a really important question. What's your favorite candy?
Are you loyal to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Do you reach for the Snickers or M&M's? Or are you one of those people who actually loves candy corn? It certainly has some very devoted fans!
I started thinking about all the candy brands we've grown up with and how, despite all the new flavors, clever promotions, and colorful packaging, so many of us keep coming back to the same favorites.
So I got curious and used Truescope to look at some Halloween candy coverage
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a perfect example. Year after year, they're always among America's Halloween favorites, right up there with Hershey's chocolate bars and M&M's. There's something wonderful about brands that have been part of our childhoods and are still the ones we reach for today.
And Reese's doesn't even need to be the subject of a big marketing campaign to get people talking. In one podcast conversation, someone casually mentioned a Reese's cup as the perfect example of a treat. I love that! When your brand becomes part of everyday conversation, you've accomplished something special. Of course, other brands are having plenty of fun trying to capture our attention.
Wonka is featuring Oompa Loompa Gummies and Magic Garden Ropes, while Oreo is tempting shoppers with Halloween multipacks and an Apple Pie à la Mode limited-edition flavor. Mountain Dew and Trolli have even teamed up again on limited-edition beverages.
Some of these sound delicious. Others? I'm not so sure. But I certainly give them credit for creativity. The Truescope coverage also turned up something interesting. Oreo and Wonka received widespread media attention through a story about CVS and its seasonal merchandise that appeared across 32 outlets. That's a lot of exposure, but it doesn't necessarily mean consumers will fall in love with those products.
And then there's the annual Halloween candy shopping challenge. How much should we buy? Where are the best deals? And will we really have enough trick-or-treaters to justify that enormous bag of chocolate?
Of course, there's always the temptation to buy the candy we love, just in case there are leftovers.
What makes Halloween so much fun is that candy isn't just candy. It's memories of childhood, neighborhood trick-or-treating, trading candy with friends, and discovering that one wonderful house giving out full-size chocolate bars.
And for those of us in communications, there's something worth remembering. You can spend a fortune getting people to notice a brand, but becoming part of their traditions and happy memories is a whole different kind of success.
So, as we get ready for Halloween, I'd love to hear from you.
What's your favorite Halloween candy? And be honest, are you buying it for the trick-or-treaters or for yourself?
Happy Halloween!
Source: Truescope analysis of selected U.S. Halloween candy media coverage, Sept. 29-Oct. 29, 2026.
