The Iconic Coca-Cola Christmas Ads: How Coke Became Synonymous with the Holiday Season
The festive season does not officially commence for many people all around the globe until the Coca-Cola Christmas ad appears on their screens. Be it the jolly red-suited Santa Claus, the illuminating convoy of Coca-Cola trucks, or Coca-Cola’s catchy “Holidays Are Coming” jingle, the brand has become shamelessly linked with the festive magic of Christmas. Let’s start with a little history and how Coca-Cola Christmas ads have evolved, from influencing pop culture to creating this brand behind some of the most wonderful Christmas traditions-from creating the modern image of Santa Claus to the world’s super-famous “Holidays Are Coming” campaign-and how this brand becomes synonymous with festive cheer.
For years, Coca-Cola not only captured the essence of Christmas but also facilitated its formation and celebration, creating some of the most heartwarming ads to be aired around the world. So, let’s dig a little deeper into the emergence of Coca-Cola during the Christmas season and its advertising for centuries to come.
The History of Coca-Cola Christmas Ads
Coca-Cola’s favorite-first Christmas advertisement featuring Santa quickly gained iconic stature as holiday advertising began gathering momentum in 1920. The early brand’s use of Santa was vital for establishing modern images that are best known among us.
The Origins
Coca-Cola has been associated with Christmas for almost a century. At the beginning of the 1920s, Coca-Cola started its holiday advertisement campaign with prints featuring Christmas trees and Santa Claus images with cheerful holiday wishes. They wanted Coca-Cola to be seen as a refreshing drink that people would have for each season, especially when winters had set in – the time of year when soda sales naturally dipped. However, it was only in the 1930s that Coca-Cola actually made a difference that would last in the way the world perceives Christmas.
Haddon Sundblom’s Santa
In 1931, Coca-Cola changed the way the holiday was advertised by first requesting artist Haddon Sundblom to create a new image of Santa Claus for the holiday ads. There had been several perceptions of Santa before Sundblom’s interpretation-Santa could be tall and gaunt, or even elf-like. However, Sundblom’s image embodied Santa as a jovial, rotund man with rosy cheeks and twinkling eyes in a red suit trimmed in white fur.
At one glance, this image of Santa Claus sipping a chilled bottle of Coca-Cola in the middle of his Christmas Eve rounds became iconic. Most will contend that this ad solidified the modern visual appearance of Santa Claus. Sundblom’s Santa appeared in ads for over three decades and formed an integral part of the brand’s holiday marketing, becoming an accepted symbol of Christmas.
First TV Ad Campaign
With television established as the primary distribution medium for advertisements in the 1950s, Coca-Cola discontinued their print ads and began running television commercials. They continued to use Sundblom’s image of Santa Claus for their first Christmas TV ads, extending on a classic image they had developed in print. Through television, Coca-Cola expanded the scope of its holiday message, further securing its footing as a dominant holiday leader.
While TV broadcasts of Coca-Cola were on the rise, the scope of Christmas promotion was increasing as well. They were known for high-quality, festive adverts, which brought warmth and joy of the season to a tradition that stayed with the company for decades.