My dearest Jack Skellington stans:
Halloween is coming!!! And you know what is going to really make you feel super spooky-ooky and excited BUT ALSO LIKE A SOPHISTICATED GOTH HISTORIAN? Tourism Ireland’s new Halloween campaign.
AdWeek reported on this incredible campaign, which is how I came across it. It’s shot on 16mm film and supported by stills shot on 35mm. It’s old school, it looks it, and that’s partly why it’s so effective. “The ad, created by agency Publicis London, uncovers Halloween’s Celtic origins. The tourism body and agency worked with academics to trace the festival’s ancient history and bring it to life through evocative storytelling. ‘If the world can flock to Rio for Carnival or Munich for Oktoberfest, why not come to Ireland for Halloween?’ Publicis London chief creative officer Noel Bunting explained in a statement.”
This ad does an incredible job of evoking history and place, and its spooky as fuck! Tourism Ireland has a supporting campaign on their site called “Ireland: Home of Halloween” that lists festivals, haunted sites, and photos of gorgeous fall countrysides. I am partial to the moody black and white images of ancient cairns and temples, but I will never turn down some seasonal LEAF PEEPING.
I’m not sure exactly where they’re running this campaign – I saw it via AdWeek – but the US seems like a good market. Ten percent of us are descended from Irish immigrants, and we have a huge Halloween culture here. I’ve written about the origins of the holiday and what it means for Americans. Long story short, the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain became All Hallows Eve, which became Halloween. Old customs of mumming and begging for soul cakes turned into Trick or Treating, partly as a way to bribe kids into behaving.
American attitudes toward Irish customs weren’t always positive, either. Most of the customs we have today – St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween – came with the famine refugees in the 1840s. At that time, Irish migrants were looked down upon as poor, diseased aliens who stole American jobs (WHY DID THEY NOT SIMPLY BUILD A WALL?????). The majority were Catholic, seen as superstitious heathens. If I were writing a sociology essay, I might compare it to the recent embrace of Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations here in the US. Notably, tourism to that holiday’s hot spots is up, while polling shows that almost half of Americans support mass deportations of Mexican and Latin American immigrants. Gross!
On that note, please make sure to vote and I’m sure you’ll hear from me again before Halloween.
Xo,
Court