Coca-Cola and Christmas have become inextricably linked over nearly a century, weaving a tapestry of festive tradition that resonates with consumers worldwide. The Coca-Cola Company has masterfully crafted this association through innovative marketing campaigns that evoke feelings of warmth, nostalgia, and shared joy during the holiday season.
The Genesis of a Christmas Icon
Coca-Cola's foray into Christmas advertising began in the 1920s, featuring shopping-related ads in magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. In 1930, artist Fred Mizen depicted a department-store Santa enjoying a bottle of Coke amidst a crowd, set against the backdrop of the world's largest soda fountain in the Famous Barr Co. department store in St. Louis, Missouri.
However, it was in 1931 that Coca-Cola's Christmas campaign truly took flight. Archie Lee, an advertising executive at D'Arcy Advertising Agency, envisioned a wholesome and realistic Santa Claus that would resonate with the public. Haddon Sundblom, an illustrator, was commissioned to create an oil painting of Santa Claus drinking a coke on Christmas Eve. For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas," which painted a picture of a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump, and human Santa.
The Sundblom Santa: A Cultural Touchstone
From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showcased Sundblom's Santa in various heartwarming scenarios: delivering toys (and playing with them!), pausing to read a letter and savor a Coke, visiting with children who stayed up to greet him, and even raiding refrigerators in numerous homes. These iconic images were adapted for Coca-Cola advertising across various platforms, including magazines, store displays, billboards, posters, calendars, and plush dolls.
Sundblom initially used his friend Lou Prentiss, a retired salesman, as a live model for Santa. After Prentiss's passing, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. Eventually, he began relying on photographs to create the image of St. Nick.
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The public embraced the Coca-Cola Santa images, scrutinizing them with such care that any deviation would prompt letters to The Coca-Cola Company. One year, Santa's belt was depicted backwards, likely due to Sundblom painting via a mirror. In another instance, Santa appeared without a wedding ring, sparking inquiries about Mrs. Claus. The children who appeared with Santa in Sundblom's paintings were based on Sundblom's neighbors - two little girls. The dog in Sundblom’s 1964 Santa Claus painting was actually a gray poodle belonging to the neighborhood florist.
Sundblom created his final version of Santa Claus in 1964, but for several decades to follow, Coca-Cola advertising featured images of Santa based on Sundblom’s original works. These paintings are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection in the company’s archives department and have been on exhibit around the world, in famous locales including the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo, and the NK Department Store in Stockholm.
Sprite Boy: Santa's Little Helper
In 1942, Coca-Cola introduced "Sprite Boy," a character created by Sundblom who appeared alongside Santa Claus in Coca-Cola advertising throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Sprite Boy, an elf, got his name due to the fact that he was a sprite.
The Coca-Cola Caravan: Spreading Kindness and Holiday Cheer
Adding to the festive spirit, the Coca-Cola Caravan embarks on the "Kindness Travels" tour. Local Coca-Cola teams host events with social impact partners to tackle inequality, promote inclusion, and help deliver a better shared future.
Modern Innovations: AI and Personalized Experiences
Coca-Cola continues to innovate its Christmas campaigns, embracing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to create unique and engaging experiences for consumers. A first-of-its-kind digital experience allows consumers to have a real-time, AI-powered conversation with Santa to generate a customized snow globe to share on social media.
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This initiative leverages a custom model created by Leonardo.ai to react and respond to the conversation in real time, combining AI-generated images and video alongside traditional holiday songs in a digital snow globe.
Coca-Cola is also venturing into AI-driven storytelling, using the imaginative power of emerging technology combined with human creativity to refresh its seasonal advertising. The three spots showcase the programmatic, hyper-local capabilities of AI, tailoring the films with localized elements. For example, viewers in Boston will see the Coca-Cola Christmas trucks passing by a ‘Welcome to Boston’ billboard.
Coca-Cola also creates real Holiday Magic IRL through bespoke “Anyone Can Be Santa” experiences in Finland, New York City, Mexico, the Philippines and Japan.
The Enduring Appeal of the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck
In 1995, the company introduced the “Holidays are Coming” advertisements, featuring brightly-colored trucks emblazoned with the image of the Coca-Cola Santa. Today, people are so attached to the ads, that in 2006, when the business tried something different, there was a complete public outcry. Several complaints and petitions led to the original trucks returning in 2007. In more recent years, the Coca-Cola brand has continued to build on their connection with the festive season by hosting a tour throughout the UK in December. Christmas doesn’t start until you’ve seen the Coca-Cola truck, right? That’s what consumers in many of our markets say. The truck goes on tour every year, spreading Christmas joy across our markets. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Christmas is a key selling moment for us and our customers, and the festive season is where our commercial teams and world-class field sales colleagues really shine.
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