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“Christmas is the spirit of giving” and this idea keeps giving and giving and giving…
I recently wrote a post – ‘If at ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – (link below) talking about The Coca-Cola Company‘s endearing and enduring Christmas campaign. So, I was tickled pink to read that Coke had now scored a “double whammy” with its new 2023 Christmas ad and its long-running Holidays are Coming ad, which both achieved “exceptional” effectiveness rankings according to System1.
Holidays are Coming scores the highest possible star rating of 5.9 stars, while The World Needs More Santas scores 5.3. System1 chief customer officer Jon Evans describes Holidays are Coming as “the yardstick of Christmas advertising”. Such unabating success gives credence to Marketing Week columnist Mark Ritson‘s advice for brands to “save your new campaign budget and spend it on making your current ads effective for longer”.
But this new execution – The world needs more Santas – cleverly strikes just the right evolutionary tone. The strategic foundation was laid over 25 years ago and the familiar red thread of distinctive brand assets can be seen throughout:
– The Spencerian Script Logo: created in 1885, by Coca-Cola’s bookkeeper and partner of Dr. John S. Pemberton. Yes, the bookkeeper.
– The Contour Bottle: conceived in 1915, from what is still one of the best packaging briefs ever written – “design a bottle so distinct that you would recognize if by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground.”
– Santa Claus: as we’ve come to know him, that big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard was created in 1931, by Haddon Sundblom, working with the @D’Arcy Advertising Agency.
– The Dynamic Ribbon: commonly called the “wave” was introduced in 1969.
– And of course The Trucks: the first trucks appeared in the original Holidays are Coming ad and were created in 1995, by advertising agency W.B. Doner.
With this arsenal of well established distinctive brand assets there could be no doubt who this new ad is for. And the emotive message builds on the original story further cementing Coca-Cola’s tight relationship with the global holiday – and all those global sales.
A big shout goes out to the Founding Fathers of Holidays are Coming, agency Doner and Mad Men John Wardley and Ed Klein. Those that came after merely stood on the shoulders of giants – wearing white fur trimmed red jackets.