Kit Kat rules Halloween social media buzz

Unimetric’s Halloween Candy Report analyzed social media activity of the top eight candy brands to see how they were attracting attention on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest in the lead up to Halloween.

Mars M&M’s scored highest, but Kit Kat grew at double the rate of other brands.

Significance?​

Whether the figures translate into improved sales remains to be seen, but a recent report from Keynote said that “The rise of interactive campaigns is energising the confectionery market on a whole new level.”​

An analyst at Mintel also told this site that "social media remains a genuine opportunity to engage with consumers".​

Unimetric said that its scoring factored in more than just the number of fans and was based on content strategy, engagement, growth, timing and frequency of posts.

Unmetric Score​

Growth​

Facebook fans​

Concentrating on Facebook​

Unmetric said that Kit Kat had boosted growth through its Facebook Fan of the Month contest.

“Interestingly, the majority of American candy brands have focused their social media efforts on Facebook,”​ said the report.

“Succeeding at social media is more complicated than fan numbers and growth. It’s about identifying with your fans, posting engaging content and creating real conversations,”​ it continued.

Hershey’s, the brand, posted more than the competition and sent out almost double the content of its nearest rival on Facebook, but fans were most responsive to posts from Nestlé Crunch, according to the report

Profiling​

Unmetric also identified the sex and age of Facebook fans, which may provide insights on consumer profiles for each brand.

Every product measured had more female fans than males.

Around 67% of Kit Kat fans were under 21, while only 29% of Nestlé Crunch fell below this age.