Rivian Recruits Bill Murray as Brands Unleash 2026 Halloween Ads

Bill Murray returns to Ghostbusters duty for Rivian in one of the standout Halloween campaigns of 2026, headlining a season packed with celebrity ensembles and horror-themed brand rivalries. The actor reprises his most famous supernatural role for the electric vehicle maker, according to Marketing Herald's review of this year's seasonal creative.

Halloween remains a favorite occasion in the advertising world, informally nicknamed the "Super Howl" by industry insiders (a play on the Super Bowl, referring to the flood of high-budget seasonal spots each October). The 2026 slate shows the format's range.

Which brands are competing this Halloween?

Two campaigns take the form of direct ghoulish competitions. Pringles and Herb Light each built their spots around spooky rivalry mechanics, aiming to turn seasonal tension into social conversation. The source material does not detail the execution beyond the competitive framing.

Two other campaigns lean on all-star ensemble casts. Reese's and e.l.f. each assembled multiple personalities for their Halloween pushes, following a strategy that spreads creative weight across several recognizable faces rather than one celebrity anchor.

What is the strategy behind the seasonal spend?

The core challenge is durability, not spectacle. The trick, and the treat, is creating something sticky enough to keep the work and the brand top of mind well past Oct. 31, the season's fixed expiration date for themed creative.

Twix offers the clearest example of a brand engineering for longevity. Its Zombie Claus character returns this year to celebrate Hallowmas (a mash-up holiday blending Halloween and Christmas themes), and the mascot is presumably sticking around for at least the next 10 weeks, extending the campaign's shelf life well beyond the holiday itself.

That timeline matters. A character introduced for a single October window generates awareness spikes but little compounding value. A recurring figure like Zombie Claus builds recognition across repeat appearances, converting a seasonal expense into a longer-running brand asset.

What does the 2026 lineup signal?

The season's strongest entries share one trait: they treat Halloween as a launchpad rather than a deadline. Rivian borrows decades of cultural equity from Murray's Ghostbusters legacy. Twix stretches a single character across a multi-week arc. The ensemble plays by Reese's and e.l.f. multiply their chances of a breakout moment.

For marketers planning 2027 seasonal work, the pattern is clear. Brands that build reusable characters and licensed nostalgia, rather than one-off scares, stand the best chance of staying in consumers' minds once the cobwebs come down and the pumpkins hit the compost.