Coca-Cola Claimed Christmas. Now Fanta Wants Halloween.

His mantra, “Halloween should be to Fanta what Christmas is to Coke,” highlights how the brand wants to cement itself at the center of the holiday, building anticipation for its annual campaign in the same way the sister brand does with its famous “Holidays Are Coming” Santa spots.

The experience era

Embedding marketing into Fanta’s physical product through scannable codes was an intentional move geared towards thirsty Gen Z and millennial consumers, said Khan.

“As brands, we don’t hold the mic anymore; the days of putting a 30-second spot on TV and having a captive audience to speak to are gone,” he added. “Our audiences now hold the mic.”

For Khan, sales will be the “ultimate KPI.”

“If we aren’t able to grow the business during that Halloween period, I don’t think we will have achieved our core objective. That’s the point,” he said.

Fanta also wants to build affinity with Gen Z.

“Last year, the reaction on social took us by surprise,” Khan said. “This year, we hope it takes us by surprise again.”

Coca-Cola doesn’t break out Fanta’s earnings, but the brand is among the soda giant’s portfolio of “billion-dollar brands,” generating over $1 billion annually.

In Q2, Coca-Cola’s revenues surged 58% year-over-year, reaching $3.81 billion for the quarter.