From influencer buzz to international press, Walkers went giant
Going big on Halloween with Walkers Snacks
Walkers wanted to position its ‘Giants’ range, including Monster Munch, as the go-to sharing snack for grown-ups at Halloween, stealing share from confectionery and cutting through the seasonal noise to carve out a role for the brand.
We tapped into the UK’s rising love of Halloween and the rising American trend of celebrity Halloween parties by partnering with comedian and TV personality Katherine Ryan. Walkers Halloween comms platform was ‘Scarily Giant’, so we created a bespoke ‘Scarily Giant’ Giant Monster Munch costume for her to wear to her annual Halloween party. The look also gave a cheeky nod to the rising term at the time of going out ‘looking like a snack’ (aka looking great).
Including a paparazzi-style shoot of Katherine ‘looking like a snack’ hitting the town with her husband, Bobby, the campaign was packed with playful, unexpected moments in Walkers’ humorous tone of voice. Katherine’s costume made headlines in titles like The Express, The Mirror and The Sun, and featured in best-dressed lists across Metro, Mail Online, and Stylist. It even made TV news over in the States. Her Instagram posts (many of which were unpaid as she loved the idea so much) also sparked a wave of fan and celebrity engagement, with comments from Paloma Faith and Gizzi Erskine. Katherine even discussed the campaign on her podcast, extending the narrative beyond Halloween weekend. We then responded by launching a sell-out range of giant inflatable snack-shaped Halloween costumes for people to buy.
The campaign was a masterclass in joined-up execution. From talent and supporting influencer content, to earned media and social storytelling, every element reinforced the ‘Scarily Giant’ platform seen in the Walkers TVC and in-store via shopper.
This was the second year of the ‘Scarily Giant’ platform, and it built on the momentum with a bigger, bolder story. The campaign evolved from a one-off costume moment into a multi-phase cultural event, helping insert Walkers right into the centre of the adult Halloween occasion and used creative storytelling to associate its snacks with Halloween parties - a key snacking and sharing moment.
