October is the month when brands start going a bit wobbly. You’ll see logos with little pumpkins added on. Social media grids that go orange and black for Halloween, then pivot to red and green for Christmas before November’s even finished. It looks frantic, and it doesn’t do much for trust.
But here’s the thing, seasonal content isn’t bad. Leaning into the time of year is a perfectly sensible thing to do. The problem is when businesses throw their whole brand out the window to do it. There’s a smarter way.
The Costume Test
Here’s a useful way to think about seasonal branding. A costume is something you put on over your normal clothes. It changes how you look, but underneath, you’re still you. Good seasonal branding works the same way.
You might add a seasonal banner to your website. You might use warmer, more atmospheric photography in October and November. You might swap your usual social media templates for versions with an autumnal colour palette. But your logo stays the same. Your fonts stay the same. Your tone of voice stays the same. The costume comes off in January, and your brand is exactly where you left it.
What works and what doesn’t
Things that tend to work well:
- Seasonal imagery in your social posts (autumn leaves, warm lighting, cosy settings) that complements your existing colour palette
- A short, time-limited message on your website homepage about seasonal hours, offers, or deadlines
- A slightly warmer, more festive tone in your email newsletters, without abandoning your usual voice
- Seasonal product or service packaging, if relevant to your business
Things that tend to go wrong:
- Redesigning your logo with seasonal elements (it looks amateur, and customers can find it confusing)
- Switching your whole colour scheme, if your brand is navy and gold, going orange and black for Halloween creates dissonance
- Over-theming — turning every single piece of content into a Halloween or Christmas post gets exhausting to follow and to produce
- Abandoning your brand voice for something more ‘festive’ — if you normally write in a calm, professional way, suddenly going jolly and exclamation-mark-heavy feels odd
October specifically — what’s actually useful
Halloween is relevant for some businesses and not others. If you’re in retail, hospitality, food, or anything family-facing, there’s real opportunity there. If you’re a B2B accountancy firm, maybe less so.
What most businesses CAN do in October is start their pre-Christmas positioning. This is the month where people start thinking about gifts, events, and bookings, often earlier than business owners expect. A gentle ‘thinking ahead to Christmas?’ message, done in your brand’s voice with your brand’s visuals, is more useful than a pumpkin emoji on your profile picture.
The two-minute brand check
Before you post any seasonal content this month, run it through this quick check. Does it still look like it came from your business? If someone saw this post without your name on it, would they recognise it as yours? If the answer is yes, you’re probably doing it right. If you’ve gone so seasonal that it could have come from anyone, pull it back a bit.
Your brand is one of the most valuable things you’ve built. Seasonal content should borrow a bit of the moment’s energy, not replace what you’ve worked to create.
One thing to do this week
Look at your last ten social media posts and your website homepage. If someone new landed on them today, would they get a clear sense of who you are and what you do? If not, fix that before adding any seasonal layer on top. Seasonal content works best when it’s built on a solid brand foundation.