If the Michael Jackson Estate had looked to Mariah Carey’s approach with All I Want for Christmas Is You, they might have amplified Thriller‘s success, further cementing it as a Halloween classic. While Thriller reigns as a Halloween anthem, it has yet to realise it’s modern day potential found by many legacy artists who are creating a renaissance for their past hits in a way that delights their fans and reaches new audiences each year. Understanding the differences in holiday scope, celebration duration, and targeted marketing strategies could offer valuable lessons for enhancing Thriller‘s seasonal resonance.
1. What’s giving Mariah the advantage?
One of the core reasons for All I Want for Christmas Is You‘s success lies in the broad cultural reach of Christmas. Celebrated globally across 160+ countries, Christmas has a universal appeal that Halloween simply cannot match, as Halloween remains more localized, especially popular in North America, the UK, and some parts of Europe. Christmas, however, is nearly universal, with festivities often lasting well over a month.
Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit taps into this broad audience by being part of a holiday celebrated worldwide, allowing for widespread radio play, streaming, and shopping mall rotations. For Thriller to attempt similar reach, its ties to Halloween—a single-day event—limit its seasonal airplay, mostly spiking around October 31st, so it needs to find new ways to be creative – and there’s nothing stopping Sony or The Estate from adopting a full on build up. Mariah starts Christmas on November 1st, Disney starts it’s Halloween celebrations in Late August and while that may be earlier than almost anywhere else, it gives them the benefit of momentum – something Thriller is lacking from the official bodies.
2. Leveraging Merchandise and Media to Build a Halloween Brand
Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You has succeeded not only as a song but as an entire seasonal brand, featuring new renditions, remixes, and holiday merchandise ranging from sweaters to Christmas ornaments. Every holiday season, Carey also amplifies her song’s reach through themed specials, concerts, and appearances, like her popular Apple TV+ special, “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special.” These events rekindle excitement, making the song more than just music—it’s a holiday institution.
Thriller could benefit from a similar approach. Michael Jackson’s Estate could consider introducing Thriller-related products each Halloween season, such as themed merchandise, remixes, and even visual re-releases. These additions could not only elevate Thriller as the Halloween anthem but also strengthen its role as a central part of Halloween culture, similar to how Carey’s song has become synonymous with Christmas.
And the possibilities are endless – Thriller fancy dress costumes, Re-issues of the song on special CD singles, 7″ & 12″ vinyl, home decor, limited edition red leather jackets. In the 80s Michael transformed his career to include a dedicated focus on becoming a brand, endorsing everything from LA Gear to Pepsi, to sunglasses and raisins because he understood the power of image in a global market. The Estate seems to have forgotten this altogether. Come on Karen, you’re the queen of T-shirts – Can we not even get an exclusive range?!
3. Engaging Audiences Through Social Media
We’re all familiar with the fact that – if you want a song to go viral – look to Tiktok. And this is why it’s so frustrating because Michael left behind the blueprints for success. The Thriller dance is iconic and should be a global trend every year. We’ve all seen people throwing their zombie-like claws in the air and swinging from side to side. For Halloween, it’s as iconic as Mariah’s sleighbells are to Christmas. Sure, there are people dancing to Thriller, but not enough to make the impact to help push Thriller into every household and smart phone. If Michael’s Estate were to join Tiktok, they could help in leading this trend – creators want to be ‘seen’ and ‘shared’ by the official account and this could be done, encouraging more people to create Thriller themed videos.
4. Blow The Cobwebs Off The Assets
Echoing the previous sentiments of using the blueprints Michael left behind, there’s enough in the arsenal to ensure Thriller reaches audiences far and wide. For a start, the Making of Thriller is not accessible anywhere! In an age where every celebrity has behind the scenes documentaries (which Michael started!), surely The Making of Thriller is primed for seasonal streaming.
The 3D version of Thriller is where? After the huge hype and screenings during the release of Scream, it’s never been seen again. Imagine if 3D glasses were available as a giveaway at stores which allow you to be able to watch Thriller 3D online.
There’s also the live versions of Thriller on all of Michael’s solo tours – every year another location could be released, building up a catalogue of all of Michael’s live Thriller performances.
Dare I say it, but there’s also that random cartoon they created – ‘Michael Jackson’s Halloween’ for CBS that’s never been seen again.
The Estate could even use other Michael Jackson Halloween-like works such as GHOSTS (the short film and music), Is It Scary, Threatened… to amplify the Thriller season.
And we know it works. Every year, Mariah creates holiday special’s around the theme of Christmas, including her own cartoon, which allows her to reach nostalgic adults and excited children throughout the holiday season.
Conclusion: How Thriller Could Benefit from the All I Want for Christmas Is You Strategy
By looking to Mariah Carey’s example, Thriller could evolve beyond its current limitations, leveraging Halloween’s potential through broader marketing, rebranding, and annual releases. Expanding its reach through new content, merchandise, and extended seasonal play could help Thriller carve out a stronger global presence.
The fans put in efforts each year to get Thriller to rise up the global charts, but this is where the Estate could take it further to ensure kids on every street are Michael Jackson for Halloween, in every house Thriller is played, in every collection new versions of Thriller are displayed and everywhere you look, no mere mortal can resist, the draw of the Thriller (ahahaha hahaha hahaha!)
Through these adjustments, Thriller could not only maintain its legendary status but also achieve new levels of global popularity, making Halloween as significant in the world of seasonal music as Christmas is today.
