Global Ads Spotlight: How Uber Eats turned boring promo codes into a Halloween horror hit
A clever fusion of horror fandom and commerce helped Uber Eats conjure its most successful grocery campaign ever - one terrifying puzzle at a time. Read and watch in our Global Ads Spotlight column.
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When it comes to Halloween, Americans love two things: candy and scares. Uber Eats figured out how to deliver both - and a business boost - with one wickedly smart campaign.
For years, Uber Eats was known mostly as a restaurant delivery service. Its Grocery & Retail vertical? Barely on the radar. But Halloween presented the perfect opportunity. Americans spend over $3 billion on candy each year - a sugar rush that Uber Eats wanted to tap.
Yet they faced a crowded field. Everyone was screaming for attention, from big-box stores to corner shops, armed with bland promo codes like SPOOKY10 and TRICKORTREAT. Uber Eats knew they'd need a sharper hook.
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The insight that slayed
Rather than treat Halloween like just another commerce event, Uber Eats leaned into the spirit of horror itself. The insight was simple: horror fans care about the details. They don't just want "spooky" - they want authentic scares. A half-baked brand experience would break the illusion.
So, instead of cranking out generic discounts, Uber Eats went deep into fandom territory. The team partnered with Hollywood studios to license iconic horror IP. They turned famous quotes - think "I see dead people" and "Do you want to play a game?" - into eerie promo codes.
But here's the killer twist: the codes weren't handed out easily. Each day leading up to Halloween, Uber Eats released these quotes with most of the letters missing. Fans had to piece them together, like detectives in a horror movie. Only once cracked could the code unlock a hefty 60% candy discount.
Execution that chilled - and thrilled
The Horror Codes campaign ran everywhere horror fans were lurking:
- Motion posters, transit displays, and LED billboards teased incomplete codes.
- Paid and organic social stoked engagement.
- Online horror communities buzzed with puzzle-solving chatter.
- Even Uber drivers' in-car tablets featured clues for riders to solve.
The campaign cleverly blurred the line between entertainment and marketing. Fans weren't just passive viewers - they became active players. They scoured clues, debated solutions online, and proudly shared their success.
Uber Eats encouraged this fandom frenzy, engaging with users across X, TikTok, and Instagram. By Halloween night, the Horror Codes had become a full-blown social event.
Results
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 290,000 promo code applications within eight hours of launch.
- Over 2 million by Halloween night.
- 44% of participants were new users to Uber Eats’ Grocery & Retail vertical.
- 65% lift in grocery and retail basket size during the campaign.
- 57% post-Halloween retention among participants.
- 96.3 million impressions across Uber ad surfaces.
- 10,000+ organic social engagements - from horror superfans to casual candy hunters.
In short, Uber Eats didn't just run a promo - they created a cultural moment. While competitors begged customers to remember dull discounts, Uber Eats turned finding a code into a thrilling, shareable game.
Horror Codes delivered Uber Eats the most successful Grocery & Retail promo campaign in its history. It showed that even in a discount-driven category, a sharp creative idea - one rooted in genuine fandom - can cut through the noise and drive serious business results.
