🎃 Direct Mail in a Halloween Costume

“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy… asking him to respond before the Halloween offer expires on 10/31. At midnight. Obviously.”

Okay, I took some liberties. But the line still applies.

Today is October 28. Which means three things:

Naturally, this issue had to go big. Or weird. Or ideally, both.

So let’s talk about Spencer’s.

If you’re of a certain age. Or if you’ve ever walked through a suburban mall while wearing too much Drakkar Noir… you already know.

Spencer’s was the place to find lava lamps, bachelorette party supplies, band tees, edible underwear, fart machines, and just enough “adult novelties” to get you kicked out if you were 13 and giggling too loudly.

But before Spencer’s was a fluorescent den of chaos tucked between Sharper Image and Sunglass Hut, it was something else:

A mail-order catalog.

Launched in 1947, Spencer’s started as a novelty gift business that sold weird, funny, borderline offensive things through direct mail. They weren’t trying to blend in. They were trying to stand out. And they did.

Fast forward a few decades, and Spencer’s acquired Spirit Halloween. Yes, that Sprit Halloween which now pops up in 1,500+ locations every fall, dominates social media, and then vanishes on November 1 faster than a Circuit City (which, let’s be honest, is probably now a Spirit Halloween).

You know what that’s called?
It’s called understanding the moment.
It’s called building a business on specificity.
And it’s called owning your tone, even when that tone is “skeleton inflatable with light-up balls.”

So what can direct mailers learn from Spencer’s?

Let’s start here:

1. Own your weird.
Spencer’s didn’t try to be tasteful. They tried to be memorable. When your brand has a point of view—even if it’s obnoxious, loud, or niche—it builds loyalty. You knew exactly what you were walking into. Same goes for your mail.

2. Timing matters.
Spirit Halloween doesn’t show up in April. They’re not here to build year-round “brand awareness.” They’re here to own a window. Your campaign doesn’t have to be timeless. It just has to be perfectly timed. Seasonality is your friend. Use it.

3. Surprise creates response.
Whether it was a hidden “adult” section behind beaded curtains or a lava lamp with glitter instead of goo, Spencer’s was built on surprise. And surprise is the backbone of good direct response. You can’t bore someone into opening an envelope.

4. You don’t need to last forever—just long enough.
Spirit Halloween thrives in a 6-8 week window. That’s not a limitation. It’s a model. Your campaign doesn’t need to run for a year. It needs to work when it hits. Design for now, not for eternity.

5. Specificity scales.
You’d think a business built on fake poop jokes and novelty socks would hit a ceiling. But when you double down on the people who get it, you find more of them. Same with mail: the sharper the targeting and tone, the better it scales.

So yes, I’m encouraging you to be more like Spencer’s.
Not because you need to sell glow-in-the-dark nipple pasties.
But because you need to stop mailing like you’re afraid of being noticed.

And maybe, just maybe, let your envelope wear a costume for once.

Before Spencer’s was a mall legend, it was a mail-order catalog. And before Spirit Halloween became a pop-up empire, it was a single store in California.

Today, that combo owns the entire month of October.

It doesn’t matter if you love Halloween, hate it, or just forgot to buy candy again. This time of year has momentum. Energy. Attention.

And attention is the currency of direct mail. Which means this is your reminder to stop pretending October is just another month.

It's not.
It's a moment.
And great marketing shows up in the moment.

Bed Bath & Beyond sent coupons on oversized postcards.
20% off. Every week. Forever.

They filled drawers. Wallets. Glove compartments.
Some people brought five to the store, just in case.

It worked. Until it didn’t.
Because when every “limited-time offer” shows up again next week…
it stops feeling limited. Or urgent. Or true.

Eventually, the coupons outlived the brand.
A ghost campaign with no one left to redeem it.

Direct mail works.
Repetition works.
But fake urgency? That’s how you end up haunting your customers instead of converting them.

5 Direct Mail Lessons from Spencer’s & Spirit Halloween

This week, send something that’s dressed to impress.
Let your campaign show up in full costume. Bold colors. Big fonts. Seasonal urgency. Maybe even glitter.
(Okay, probably not glitter.)

Don’t just “run a campaign.”

Throw a party in someone’s mailbox.

Because Halloween doesn’t last forever.
But that direct mail piece?
It might just sit on the counter until Christmas. 

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Spencer’s Gifts taught me that weird works.
Spirit Halloween taught me that timing wins.
And Julia Roberts taught me that sometimes, you just have to put yourself out there.

Happy Halloween.
Happy dating anniversary to my husband.
And happy birthday, Julia.

Let’s all be a little more memorable this week.

Even if it’s just with a glow-in-the-dark envelope.