New to our range
Father Christmas: from festive hero to advertising icon for Coca-Cola
26.12.2024
Translation: machine translated
Once upon a time, there was a friendly Father Christmas who brought joy to children and handed out presents. But then Coca-Cola came along and turned him into a symbol of commerce and consumerism.
The red and white uniform we know today was perfected by the brand and spread globally. Father Christmas has become a walking billboard for lemonade. A masterpiece of marketing: the very spirit of Christmas - contemplation, community and giving - has been transformed into a permanent sales event.
Before Coca-Cola, there was Santa - but different
Historically speaking, there were already depictions of a bearded, chubby man before Coca-Cola appropriated him. As early as 1863, the cartoonist Thomas Nast sketched a Father Christmas in red and white, and the New York Times also described such a Santa Claus in 1927. Coca-Cola thus built on existing elements, but helped them to become globally recognised through massive advertising.
Christmas: A celebration of... advertising?
Instead of charity, there are discounts these days, and instead of Christmas baubles, we find special promotions. Coca-Cola has also understood how to integrate a figure into a sales strategy. With clever campaigns, the somewhat overfed jolly man was anchored in people's minds.
Everyone knows the adverts with the Coca-Cola trucks at Christmas or commercials in which Father Christmas fulfils his role as an influencer and gleefully tastes the brown lemonade. The message is clear: drink Coca-Cola. Preferably lots of it.
And Coca-Cola has even managed to get other brands to pay licence fees in order to bring their own products onto the market that exploit the popularity of Coca-Cola Father Christmas.
From festival to consumption festival
Conclusion: consumption instead of contemplation
What remains is the realisation that Coca-Cola has turned Father Christmas into a well-oiled sales machine and Christmas has degenerated into a consumer party. Perhaps we should pause for thought at Christmas and think about what is more important to us: an old, commercialised fairytale character or the actual idea behind the festivities?
Oliver Herren
Chief Innovation Officer
Oliver.Herren@digitecgalaxus.chCool: Creating interfaces between the real world and the world of pure information. Not cool: Driving by car to the mall to shop. My life happens online, the information age is where I feel at home.
Christmas
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show all
