Good luck topping Fanta's Halloween campaign next year

Last month, I was invited to New York to experience the Haunted Fanta Factory Live Experience – an immersive installation for the brand's Halloween campaign. As a dedicated horror fan, I was sceptical about a megalithic brand taking on some of the genre's most beloved icons, but thankfully, what I witnessed exceeded expectations.

When I first heard Fanta was on a mission to become the Halloween equivalent of what Coca-Cola is to Christmas, I dismissed it as a fantastical pipedream. I'm pleased to say Fanta's larger than life 2025 Halloween campaign proved me wrong, earning it a rightful place amongst some of the most iconic brands today – here's how they did it.

01. Staying on brand (tastefully)

Seasonal branding can be a tricky theme to navigate, often relying on timeless tropes that have been recycled thousands of times. Despite its partnership with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse, Fanta managed to preserve its iconic identity throughout the campaign, from packaging to immersive experience, for a union that felt surprisingly organic from both sides. No plastic skeletons or bedsheet ghosts, just raw scarefactor with a Fanta twist.

Throughout the immersive experience, we were met with various Universal/Blumhouse icons, from Michael Myers to The Grabber. We were taken through the 'Fanta factory' decked out in Fanta orange (both the colour and beverage), while the theme of each room carefully weaved in the film material without feeling forced.

Amidst completing puzzles and dashing from room to room, you almost forget you're in a brand experience, and it's only at the end when you're rewarded with a refreshing can of seasonal Fanta that reality hits. Fanta shines during the spooky season because it wants to create a genuinely fun, tangible experience, rather than an easy marketing opportunity.

02. Simple idea, great execution

The concept of the scare maze/escape room has been around for years, but there's a risk that slapping a brand over it can dilute the fear. Through a simple yet clever storyline, Fanta expertly weaved its products into the experience, from taste testing to discovering 'secret recipe' files, creating authentically engaging puzzles for fans.

Despite being limited to a short time frame, the pop-up experience set design was surprisingly well executed. Each dark corner teased the idea of a looming threat, and the disorienting lighting instilled a genuine sense of panic amongst my teammates and I.

Thanks to the mix of overly enthusiastic tour guides and terrifying scare actors, the experience was impeccably executed. Despite its Fanta factory setting, the immersive installation triumphed in its ability to be enjoyed outside of a branding context, making it a tasteful spin on a modern Halloween tradition.

03. Knowing the audience

Something that became abundantly clear during my interview with Fanta's Global VP Ibrahim Salim Khan was that the brand knows its audience. Set on the teen demographic, Fanta succeeds in its ability to run with Gen Z/Alpha's unpredictable humour. From Chucky shines to DIY Freddy Fazbear swords, Fanta embraced the bizarre memes as a golden opportunity.

"Social engagement has been exceptional. It's not easy to win on social these days for brands – when it works, it's not by chance. All the prep work, all the work with the partners, with the creative team, with the brand is to get to this point and have an awesome experience for the fans and the horror community," says Val Herzer, senior director of global entertainment and influence for The Coca-Cola Company.

It wasn't just a sea of teens they had to impress; Fanta had the difficult challenge of appeasing horror fans such as myself. "There are two things that you'll see in the lineup that are not a random coincidence. Part of it is timeless, iconic characters everyone knows that resonate across the globe. Then there are the timely characters that are trending and emerging. We're seeing cross-generational appeal," Val adds..

04. Keeping it authentic

For a seasonal campaign to be successful, authenticity has to be at its core. "When it comes to Halloween, haunted houses are a big part of the activities people love doing," Ibrahim says. "The challenge was, doing themed experiences isn't something people expect of a soft drink brand. So for us to make it really credible, genuine and authentic was important."

Doing away with corny Halloween tropes of the past, Fanta embraced real fear. By not coddling its target audience of teens and instead focusing on providing a tangible, entertaining experience, Fanta built a campaign rooted in passion and fun.

"When you work with fandom communities and IPs, it's always a big risk, so we've tried our best to stay as authentic as we can. Anyone can slap an IP on packaging. The way that we've done it is with a lot of love and attention," Ibrahim says.

05. Thinking ahead

Before I'd even had time to mentally recover from the terror of the Haunted Fanta Factory Live Experience, Ibrahim revealed that ideas for next year's Halloween event were already cooking. "For us right now, the only scarier thing than Chucky's Punch is what we're going to do next year," he says. "The pressure is on, there's anticipation for Fanta's Halloween, so we're already thinking about how to level it up again next year."

"The brief started in 2024," Val reveals. "Anything related to fans' passions is part of the core strategy for the brand. You've seen what we did last year with Beetlejuice, and now you have the incredible opportunity to see the step up for '25. All I can say is there's more in store, so keep an eye out."