Fanta on Monday released a trailer teasing the Coca-Cola brand’s Haunted Universe, a new entertainment property that brings together original characters, storytelling and experiences and is intended to be a multiyear effort. The over two-minute video also offers a first look at the brand’s forthcoming Halloween campaign, which will launch on Aug. 26, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
The cinematic trailer introduces a handful of creatures of the night, including a jack-o’-lantern-headed scarecrow, a sports car-driving vampire, a cyborg Frankenstein and a werewolf DJ, that battle across a cityscape in pursuit of a magic elixir with “the power to rule the living and the dead,” a voiceover explains.
The Haunted Universe builds on Fanta’s previous Halloween-themed efforts, which the brand has worked to scale into a repeatable, global platform. Last year, Fanta’s Halloween campaign delivered 10 billion impressions with significant engagement and impact on sales, explained Ibrahim Khan, global vice president of marketing at Fanta.
“What Christmas is to Coke is what we want Halloween to be for Fanta,” Khan said, in reference to Fanta’s sister brand’s nearly century-long connection with the winter holiday.
Fanta’s previous Halloween efforts included packaging that featured iconic horror characters like Chucky, Michael Myers and Beetlejuice. The new platform is intended to give Fanta an opportunity to build and invest in its own intellectual property for years to come, beyond just entertainment-led partnerships.
“We have original characters, lore and stories, and we will also be inviting pop culture IP to join us in this universe,” Khan said. An “iconic” character collaboration will be announced soon, the executive added.
AI-powered creative
Fanta’s Halloween campaign was developed by WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy and supported by VML, WPP Media and WPP Production. The brand also collaborated with creative agency ForPeople and Grail, an entertainment studio powered by artificial intelligence that also employs writers, editors, artists and technologists. Khan described the role of AI as helping to unlock richer content and experiences, the way that hand-drawn animation evolved into CGI.
“Some people think you press a few buttons and Fanta Universe pops up — it's taken us a year and a half,” the executive said.
Along with the trailer, the campaign — which will go live in 50 global markets — will include collectible packaging, a limited-time flavor, a return of the Haunted Fanta Factory experience and a variety of content. Fanta is collaborating with influencers who have been provided with literature and backstories to help bring the world to life.
“Iconic characters and legends are a part of this season. We needed to not start from scratch, but build on something that already exists,” Khan said of the creative process. “These legends kept popping up, and every part of the world has them. But because they're recognized and well known, we also had to be very careful in how we treat them, and at the same time reinterpret them and make sure that they're relevant for current audiences.”
