Chapter 1
The Cold Start
When Pumpkins After Dark launched in 2017, it was a single-city Halloween attraction with zero brand awareness.
No audience. No followers. Just an ambitious vision to create an immersive nighttime experience.
The challenge wasn't just building awareness—it was creating demand for a product category that didn't exist.
We needed to educate the market while simultaneously driving ticket sales in a compressed seasonal window.
Our approach: Aggressive paid media across Meta and Google, hyper-targeted creative testing, and a full-funnel
architecture that turned cold traffic into ticket buyers. Within the first year, we achieved a 400%+ ROAS and
sold out multiple nights.
Chapter 2
The Pivot
Then 2020 happened. COVID-19 shut down live events globally. For most attractions, this was an extinction-level event.
For Pumpkins After Dark, it became the catalyst for explosive growth.
We pivoted to a drive-thru format in record time. Families could experience the magic from the safety of their cars.
The messaging shifted overnight: from "come gather" to "stay safe, stay together."
The result? A 300% increase in attendance during a pandemic year. We didn't just survive—we became the safest,
most accessible Halloween experience in North America. Media coverage exploded. Demand went vertical.
Chapter 3
The Explosion
Post-COVID, the brand was unstoppable. From 1 city to 7. From regional curiosity to national phenomenon.
We scaled the paid media engine across every new market while maintaining creative consistency and brand integrity.
Our organic social strategy built a community of 100K+ followers who turned every event into a viral moment.
User-generated content became our most powerful creative asset. Families shared their experiences, influencers
amplified the magic, and media outlets treated launches like cultural events.
By 2023, Pumpkins After Dark generated $91M in earned media value and maintained an average ROAS of 500%+ across
all markets. What started as a single-city experiment became a blueprint for how to scale live experiences in
the modern attention economy.
