Santa Claus originated from a monk named St. Nicholas, known for his kindness and generosity, who was born around 240 A.D.
Over the years, St. Nicholas’ legend grew, and in 1773, he made his way to America when a New York newspaper reported Dutch Families gathered to honor him on the anniversary of his death.
But it wasn’t until the 1800’s that Santa’s image was used commercially. Gift-giving at Christmas has centered around children since the early 19th century. In the 1840’s special newspaper sections started appearing that featured holiday ads. As Santa’s popularity continued to grow, he was featured throughout these newspaper ads.
Santa Visits Coca-Cola
In the 1930s, Coca-Cola started featuring Santa’s in their ad campaigns. These ads featured Santa as a jolly elf in a red and white suit, drinking a coke, and coming down the chimney to deliver gifts to children. This image of Santa was inspired mainly by the 1822 poem by an episcopal minister, Clement Clark Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas”, or what is now known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. These Coca-Cola ads were featured in many of the most popular magazines and newspapers. Thus, the legend of Santa continued to evolve.
The ads became so popular and created such engagement when any change was made to Santa, people would write to the Coca-Cola company. An example. one year, Santa was not wearing a wedding ring in the ads. This caused people to send letters asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.
Santa Claus and the Retail Industry
In 1890, James Edgar of Brockton, Massachusetts, appeared as Santa in his grain store. Children were so excited they flocked to the store. The biggest difference was the suit. James Edgar’s suite resembled Thomas Nast’s portrayal of Santa that was featured in the 1862 Harper’s Weekly, Christmas issue. After this, stores across the United States and Canada started featuring Santa during Christmas to attract children of all ages.
In 1924, Macy’s started featuring Santa during the 1st Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Today, children visit malls and stores to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what gifts they want.
Santa Today
Today Santa is an icon during the holidays throughout our culture. He is featured in ads, participates in parades, attends parties, stars in movies and cartoons, decorates homes, and is an everlasting megastar.
Did you know that there is a Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas? This is a union of Santas that connects, meets, and interacts several times throughout the year.
Santa’s radio
This is a new holiday radio station in Richmond, VA on 100.9FM. There are no DJ’s, it’s just Santa or the elves laughing and talking between Christmas songs. Its a lot of fun and you can listen online.
This is the official magazine of the North Pole written by the elves.
The International Santa Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame honors the men and women representing and honoring Santa.
How are you using Santa to promote your business during the holidays?
Santa is an iconic image that screams fun, positivity, and success. Plus, Santa has an entire storyline of characters from elves, reindeers, Mrs. Claus, and delivering presents to children that you can incorporate in your campaigns. Not to mention, the North Pole offers a wide variety of additional stories that you can create for your advertising. You are only limited by your imagination!
So, my question is was Santa an ambassador for your business this year? Or phrased another way, how often did you use Santa in your holiday marketing?
If Santa did not promote your products and services this year, it’s okay.
But as your planning, your marketing campaigns for next year, make sure you think of creative ways to get the jolly elf to promote your products.
The nice aspect about using Santa, it’s not like hiring a typical celebrity for your business. When hiring Santa, there is no charge. But he will still represent your business as a global icon who has stood the test of time, has a positive, cheerful image that will promote your products and benefit your business.
So remember, you don’t need to visit the North pole. You just need a little creativity with your marketing campaigns to experience the magic of Santa.
Resources for This Article
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/09/thomas-nast-the-man-who-invented-santa-claus/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/429263
https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claushttps://www.coca-colajourney.co.nz/stories/the-true-history-of-the-modern-day-santa-claus
