Paws and Effect

In 2026, Americans are expected to spend $920 million on Halloween costumes for their pets this year. That’s nearly a billion dollars to dress up dogs and cats! The holiday is a big deal for people too: Spider-Man is the most popular kids’ costume (4.6 million kids), and witches top the adult list (4.8 million grown-ups), so plenty of pets will probably end up as tiny matching sidekicks.

Your Task: With a partner, imagine you are on the marketing team for a pet store, and your boss wants to host a Halloween pet costume contest on October 31 to bring more customers into the store.

• What will you name the contest, and what prizes will make people want to enter?

• How will you spread the word, both online and around town?

• How will the contest help the store sell more products, not just throw a fun party?

Write an 8-10 sentence promotional plan to your boss explaining how you’ll make the contest a hit. Remember, you and your partner both need to submit a response so you'll be eligible to win $200.