Over the weekend, people opened their front doors and distributed candy to costumed kids in exchange for three little words: Trick or Treat!
Halloween, by far, is my favorite holiday. I love the trickery, haunted houses, and especially dressing up. America loves Halloween too, spending in excess of 4 billion annually. However, this year is very different: The economy has finally caught up with Halloween. Average spending in 2009 was $56.31 per celebratory consumer, dropping 15% from last year’s spending ($66.54) last. The cutbacks in spending consumers are buying less candy, costumes, decorations, and greeting cards.
My Halloween, unfortunately, was a little less exuberant than in previous years. My own costume was one that I had worn in a previous year and the candy I bought was of lesser variety. I also felt that there were more homemade costumes roaming the streets than in years past. Some notable pop culture, homemade costumes that I saw included ‘balloon boy’ (crafted out of aluminum foil), Jon Gosselin (with pictures of all of his ‘eight’ kids), and the late Michael Jackson (complete with mask and glove).
Although I enjoy the creativity and resourcefulness of homemade Halloweens, I am hoping for a brighter economic future next year with an even wider array of tricks and treats. Happy Halloween!
http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/censusstatistic/a/halloween03.htm
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/retail-restaurants/e3i9ba294d3ac964cbd964f6314cb939bee
http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/9300920
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2005-10-11-halloween-usat_x.htm
About Me
- eckramer
- Growing up in Atlanta, GA, I moved to New Orleans, LA to achieve my BBA in Marketing and Management from Loyola University New Orleans. After being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, I spent a semester at Georgia State University, but was able to return to New Orleans to achieve my degree. Following graduation, I returned to Atlanta to pursue a coveted career in advertising. Currently, I am working as an assistant traffic manager at a prestigious advertising agency. I am a self-motivated, organized, detail-oriented, advertising professional with a strong sense of project ownership and proactive approach to issue resolution. Although my background has been primarily focused on online media, I have the ambition to learn and master new technologies, processes, departments, and other innovative facets of the advertising industry including broadcast and print production, public relations, communications, and strategy. I interact with a variety of people, personalities, and overcome unique challenges on a daily basis in a highly-dynamic environment under strict deadlines. I am always looking to increase success for myself, my agency, and our clients.