Sun-Maid Embraces Awful Halloween Reputation by Creating an Actual 'Raisin House'

There aren't many snacks as polarizing as the raisin. The middle ground that exists between those who find the evolved grapes to be a healthy treat and detractors who consider them a textural nightmare fits very few people, often inspiring impassioned debates and more than a few memes. Spooky Season is the one time when pro- and anti-raisin advocates come together under one general assertion: on a night when candy rules supreme, raisins make terrible Halloween treats. Needless to say, "the raisin house" is consistently judged this time of year. Believe it or not, Sun-Maid is well aware of its reputation as the shunned Halloween prize. In fact, the brand is leaning into it with an activation that channels the real horrors of being the most unpopular house on the block into a haunting residence that fans can experience in-person. This year we're acknowledging that there's perhaps nothing scarier than getting raisins on Halloween— except being the house that hands them out.Harry Overly, Sun-Maid This Halloween, Sun-Maid and agency Quench are turning 3 East Cedar Avenue in Merchantville, New Jersey—known annually as “Monsterville” in October—into a ghoulish house for local trick-or-treaters. Visitors will get to check out the converted residence's programmable lights, smoke and sound effects and what the brand calls a "hand sampling wall" composed of decorative and real hands. The brand has also created custom clean-up kits for the raisin enthusiasts who proudly pass out the controversial snacks on Halloween. Kits include specially made products to help remove splattered eggs and toilet paper from the ill-fated abodes that receive some spirited backlash. The brand has created custom clean-up kits for the raisin enthusiasts who proudly pass out the controversial snacks on Halloween. In on the joke After recognizing that its product is inherently tied to an incredibly strong Halloween narrative, Sun-Maid chose to acknowledge it openly. Jokes aside, this gives the brand the opportunity to authentically take part in a holiday conversation that competing raisin providers might not be so quick to join in on. “We know there are a lot of occasions for eating better-for-you snacks like whole fruit raisins—we just recognize that Halloween certainly isn't the preferred time,” Harry Overly, president and CEO of Sun-Maid, explained in a statement. "This year we're acknowledging that there's perhaps nothing scarier than getting raisins on Halloween—except being the house that hands them out." The self-deprecative approach to the holiday, which is backed by paid social media, has seemingly worked thus far. According to brand, Sun-Maid’s TikTok following has increased by over 3,200% thanks to a contest that will give $5,000 to a fan who shares what the "raisin house" means to them. “If we can’t be peoples’ favorite Halloween snack, we want to at least show people that we can still be a fun snack,” said Quench's account director Sonya Cooper. “And during a holiday that’s all about fun, being a trick and a treat might be the best thing on the block.” But that doesn't mean that the brand plans to remain down for long, according to Overly: "We look forward to finding our place in the pantry and lunchboxes as soon as the stomach aches from all of the candy go away." 'If we can’t be peoples’ favorite Halloween snack, we want to at least show people that we can still be a fun snack,' said Quench's account director Sonya Cooper. At 3AM, Ghosts Come Out. So Do Free Meals at Burger King