Santa Claus, A Jolly Plump Man In A Red Coat…Or A Clever Marketing Ploy
We all know what Santa looks like, don’t we? The question is when did he first look like the image we all know and love?
The story goes that Santa Claus was a creation of Clement Clarke Moore and Thomas Nast . In 1822 Moore wrote a poem for his daughters called “The Visit from Saint Nicholas” In this poem a tiny elflike creature runs about on Christmas Eve delivering presents. He is so small he can fit down the chimney!
It wasn’t until the editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast published a book called "Santa Claus and His Works" that he became a full sized Santa. So we have Moore to thank for the reindeer but Nast to thank for fattening up Santa and sending him to the North Pole.
Santa started appearing everywhere…but still not quite as we know him today.
In the 1920’s a certain Coca-Cola company were struggling to sell their drink during the winter months. They hit on the idea of using a winter image like Santa relaxing with a glass of Coke. It’s no coincidence that Santa is dressed in Red and White…Coca-Cola’s corporate colours. The idea grew and advertising showed the children leaving glasses of Coke for Santa instead of milk.
By the late 1940’s Coke’s Santa had elbowed aside all other Santa images and was seen as being The Santa Claus. The image we now all know to be Santa was created for Coca-Cola by Haddon H. Sundblom and has proved so successful that one of Coke’s agencies is hired almost exclusively for December.
So the next time you see the Sundblom Santa lift his soft drink bottle in a holiday toast and wink…pity poor Pepsi, they must hate Christmas.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
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