fb Haunted Marketplace

No matter what you’re into, you can find almost anything on Facebook Marketplace. Even Real Haunted Items, from Real Haunted houses.

Don’t get scared, watch the case study below:

Background

Gen-Z’s interest in paranormal activities isn’t just about the thrill—it’s part of a broader fascination with the unknown, the unconventional, and the countercultural. Shows like Stranger Things and The Haunting of Hill House have made supernatural themes mainstream for this generation. While most other brands joke about the paranormal with jokey commercials and social content, Facebook harnessed real haunted artifacts and from the most notoriously haunted homes in America and made them available for purchase on Marketplace.

Idea

Days before Halloween, we turned Facebook Marketplace into The Haunted Marketplace and sent the internet into a frenzy. For the first time, real haunted items from some of the most notoriously haunted houses were listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Even the famously haunted Mystic Manor was listed for $666,666, and received offers within 24 hours.

Paranormal influencers stumbled upon the haunted listings and lost their minds. Word spread like wildfire, resulting in one of the most successful stunts. In just 5 days, The Haunted Marketplace garnered 29.2 million total impressions, reached 7.5 million real people, saw a 154% increase in Marketplace engagements and a 6.3% increase in daily active users.

While cute trinkets and adorable costumes have taken over Halloween, The Haunted Marketplace brought scary back to the spooky season, and truly set Facebook apart in a heavily crowded cultural moment.

Strategy

In recent years, mystery, suspense and the paranormal have seen a dramatic increase in popularity. Conversely, Facebook’s popularity has drastically decreased. To win back people’s attention, we identified an opportunity to activate at the intersection of Gen-Z’s fascination with the paranormal, and on one of culture’s biggest nights: Halloween.

Days leading up to the holiday, we worked with real haunted houses to list real haunted items and brought scary authenticity back to the spooky season. The Haunted Marketplace tapped the true passions of the paranormal community and turned their fervor into word of mouth for the campaign.

Without any traditional paid media, Facebook created an authentic conversation in culture, giving people the unique chance to own legitimately haunted items on Halloween—proving that Facebook isn’t just a place to scroll, it’s a place to take them closer to their passions. Even if it’s a haunted mirror.

Description

We tapped some of the most prominent haunted houses in the country including Burn Brae Mansion, Franklin Castle, Crescent Hotel, The Logan Inn and The Red Room to list items on Facebook Marketplace with deeply ominous undertones. The owner of the infamously haunted Mystic Manor even listed the entire house for $666,666. The same platform that consumers used to sell their old furniture was transformed into a hot spot for paranormal treasures that anyone could own a piece of. Most of the items sold out immediately, and the owner of Mystic Manor even received interest in the house from a potential buyer within 24 hours. Gen Z rediscovered Marketplace as a place to truly find anything—even haunted real estate—and proved it’s not just a place to doom scroll, but a place that brings you scarily close to your interests.

Execution

Facebook partnered with America’s most infamously haunted houses to list real haunted items on Marketplace. We contacted over 60 haunted houses across the country and sold a vast variety of items ranging from a piano still haunted by a child’s spirit, an 1893 microscope lingering with the ghost of William Cash, a sculpture from what was once a Revolutionary War mortuary, and much more. Even an entire haunted house from Pennsboro, West Virginia was listed for $666,666.

Authenticity was key to the campaign. Photos of the Marketplace Listings were taken by the owners, shot with polaroid and digital cameras. The inconsistent and imperfect nature of the photographs exemplified realness that resonated with our target audience. Paranormal influencers uncovered the haunted listings, and then pop culture influencers and home decor enthusiasts expanded the reach to a massive audience, sparking a fun conversation

that aligned authentically with the Halloween spirit.

Outcome

The Haunted Marketplace dominated cultural conversations during Halloween season thanks to the authenticity of the haunted items and their stories. Most of the items sold out immediately, and the owner of Mystic Manor even received interest in the house from a potential buyer within 24 hours. Millions of engagements lit up Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Reddit, with 7.5 million real people reached and 29.2 million organic media impressions. Facebook also saw a 6.3% increase in daily active users and 154% increase in engagement on Marketplace. Gen Z rediscovered Facebook Marketplace as a place to truly find anything—even haunted real estate—and proved it’s not just a place to doom scroll, but a place that brings you scarily close to your interests.