Fanta Develops Original Characters for Halloween Campaign
The beverage brand introduces three custom characters to reduce reliance on external entertainment partnerships.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Marketing
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Fanta has launched a new global Halloween campaign featuring three original characters named Haystacks, Drayk, and Howlie. This initiative moves the company away from its previous strategy of relying on annual partnerships with major entertainment studios.
Why it matters
By building its own proprietary intellectual property, Fanta aims to gain more creative control over its seasonal marketing efforts. This strategy follows a successful 2025 campaign that relied on collaborations with Universal Studios and Blumhouse.
The brand's 2025 Halloween campaign achieved 8 billion total impressions, including 1 billion organic social media impressions. Fanta also recorded 100,000 consumer-created advertisements during that same promotional cycle.
The players
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks owned by The Coca-Cola Company.
WPP OpenX
WPP OpenX is an integrated marketing agency model specifically designed to service Coca-Cola brand accounts.
AMC Theaters
AMC Theaters is an American movie theater chain that operates the largest cinema circuit in the world.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a United States-based restaurant franchise chain known for smoothies and food items.
The details
Fanta collaborated with WPP OpenX, GRAiL, and ForPeople to develop the trio of characters. The marketing push includes influencer-led video content and limited-edition cans for each character, alongside partnerships with AMC Theaters and Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Timeline
Fanta launched its first global Halloween campaign in 2024.
The brand collaborated with Universal Studios and Blumhouse in 2025.
The 2026 Halloween campaign was executed throughout October 2026.
The Halloween holiday took place on October 31, 2026.
Market Landscape
This move represents a strategic pivot toward proprietary content to reduce dependency on external studio licensing. It shifts the company from a partnership-based model to an internal intellectual property strategy to compete in the seasonal beverage market.
Consumers can expect to see new character-branded limited edition cans at participating retail locations throughout the campaign. Shoppers can also access promotional sweepstakes via AMC Theaters or purchase themed items at Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
The takeaway
Fanta is pivoting toward self-sustaining brand equity by creating characters that allow for multi-year narrative development. This shift suggests that major consumer brands are increasingly prioritizing owned media assets over the volatile costs of external entertainment licensing.
Further reading
For more on industry trends, read our full Marketing analysis.
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