Did Coca-Cola Invent Santa Claus?

Did Coca Cola Invent Santa Claus? In 1931, Coca Cola wanted more winter sales and hired an artist to paint a new Santa for Christmas advertisements. The painting depicted a department store Santa enjoying a Coke. His children looked on, but this Santa wasn't as jolly as executives wanted. They wanted their marketing campaigns to promise happiness every time you open up a can of Coke. So they hired another illustrator who, inspired by the Night Before Christmas poem, established Santa as a warm, happy character with joyful human features, including rosy cheeks, twinkling eyes and laughter lines. Though Coke didn't invent Santa, it played a major role in shaping the jolly character we know today. This version quickly became an iconic image replicated by writers, filmmakers and artists throughout the world. What can we learn here by investing in a holiday marketing strategy? Coca Cola utilized already existing positive sentiment and can safely repeat its campaign every year. For Coke, it isn't about what the product is, but what it does. They stay consistent and let their brand voice dictate the visual image they wanted to create. Click the link in the description for a free gift on how to start defining your brand. For more advertising insights and case studies, subscribe to the HubSpot marketing channel.