Not in the Quasimodo sense, but in the impending juggernaut that is Christmas.
The reason I know that Christmas is coming is that I have just seen the Coca-Cola advert on television. This is an advert that has settled into the British consciousness in the iconic way that Ferrero Rocher advert did before they changed it. You know it’s Christmas when the Coca-Cola ad comes to town.
Christmas is a time of contrasts and means different things to everyone, a religious event, a time for family….
When looking at Christmas as a designer, the most interesting aspect of it is how it can be constantly re-invented. There are themes we associate; tinsel, trees, presents. These ideas are re-worked, re-packed and presented as new with a warming familiarity.
Christmas plays such an important part in the marketing of products and brands. It allows brands to associate themselves with a very positive non-religious idea – the joy of giving. This is a powerful concept embodied by the round figure of Santa Claus.
The history of using Santa is littered with a few interesting examples which I’ve shown below. Santa smoking is now seen quite differently in today’s smoke free world, but I would argue that the overwhelming feel good factor that Santa has, means he can do no wrong – we all still love him!
The biggest winner of them all is coca-cola.
‘Historically, Coca-Cola was not the first soft drink company to utilize the modern image of Santa Claus in its advertising White Rock Beverages used Santa to sell mineral water in 1915 and then in advertisements for its ginger ale in 1923.
Further, the Coca-Cola advertising campaign had the effect of popularising the depiction of Santa as wearing red and white, in contrast to the variety of colours he wore prior to that campaign.
‘source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus
Even as a very large colour advertisement for Coca-Cola, Santa remains a polarising figure of goodness for everyone at this time of year.
Santa Claus is coming, Santa Claus is coming very soon…….
James Chantler is Creative Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
