Mindshare: A Very Data-Inspired Halloween
This week on Mindshare’s Culture Vulture Live, Alexis Fragale talks about Frightgeist - a new tool from Google Trends that can help with your Halloween shopping.
Frightgeist uses Google search data to figure out which Halloween costumes are trending across the U.S. You can look at which costumes are most popular overall on a national level, or check the live map to see which ones are trending on a city-by-city basis.
Some of this year’s most popular searches include Harley Quinn, Star Wars and superheroes -- so if that’s what you were planning, don’t be surprised to see a few copycats this weekend. On the other hand, if you’ve been struggling to figure out a costume, now you’ve got a whole set of ideas right in front of you.
For brands and marketers, Frightgeist is a great example of how to leverage customer data and insights to create something of value for your audience. It’s not enough to just have lots of data -- it’s about using that intel in creative ways.
The other takeaway is about cutting through the clutter of sameness in a crowded cultural event like Halloween -- placing the importance on not just being timely, but different. Another good example of bringing value and being different is the Halloween list released by Vivino, an app for wine enthusiasts. They’ve thoughtfully paired different wines with Halloween candy, for the adult who has snacks leftover once the Trick ‘or Treaters are gone.
Ultimately, with the right strategy and thinking, any brand can find ways to be relevant within the cultural zeitgeist.
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