Halloween is rapidly approaching, and the vaccine rollout continues unabated; therefore, the event seems all set to provide new prospects for people, once again to gather together and celebrate in person as tradition would have it, during the 'spooky season'.

And if you're looking to shape an effective strategy for your Halloween marketing efforts, these new insights from Pinterest may be just what the doctor ordered. The platform has published a new rundown of the top Halloween search trends it's seeing so far in the app.

And, indeed, people appear to be gearing up for a big Halloween this year.

According to Pinterest:

"Searches containing "Halloween inspiration" were 3X higher in August this year compared to last year. Pinners started to plan much earlier and searches accelerated faster - searches containing "Halloween" began rising as early as the second week of May (vs fourth week of May last year) and they increased 3.5X as fast compared to the same time last year."

With the momentum it has gathered, it would not be a bad idea to tie your marketing into the event.

So, what are the trends Pinterest is seeing?

"This year's Halloween theme is all about aesthetic fantasies expressed in metallics and vivid shades. Aesthetics that grew in popularity over the pandemic had a costume element to them that may take off this Halloween, similar to VSCO girl which took off as a costume last year."
YouTube also reported an increase in aesthetic trends, noting people look for community around specific niches and looks.

And from Pinterest, these trends apparently dominate Halloween this year:

fairy costume aesthetic (+76x)
cottagecore witch outfit (+11x)
clown core fashion (+2x)
wood elf costume (+5x)
evil mermaid costume (+4x)
Pinterest also states that "Retro Halloween aesthetic" is the overall top trending term around Halloween (+76x), could bring old favorites back to the streets only for one night, while "vintage Halloween decor" (+3x) has also increased in popularity recently.

"This includes old theme motifs from ghosts, black cats and witches and Frankensteins to posters or banners that resemble an earlier century and may feature images of classic Halloween parties from the early 20's in sepia tones."

Alongside this are pumpkin carvers, but the apple finds some ground as star food of the season
apple cider donut cake (+4x)
country apple fritter bread (+4x)
apple dumpling recipe (+3x)
apple pie enchiladas (+3x)
For current trends related to what's hot for Halloween, Pinterest can be a great resource, and you can check Pinterest's Trends tool at any time for the latest shifts.

There's a ton of potential here, and by being aligned where the people are looking, it could ensure that your Halloween tie-in is a hit.