Coca-Cola wasn’t the first manufacturer to try and use Santa as a lead-in for their product. Ivory Soap is shown at the beginning of the article. So once the idea of commercializing Christmas took off, everyone jumped on. The reason for Coca-Cola to try a connection was simply to keep sales numbers up during the winter, as they were seen as a summer drink.
We get lots of Christmas adverts over here, but they seem to be mostly about families and shops.
If Santa does appear he seems to be in the periphery of things. He’s not the driving force (I’M SANTA AND I CAN SELL YOU THIS STUFF) more of a “Come down to <insert shop here> for Christmas and we’ll make your family happy. You can also see Santa!”
He’s kind of a bonus thing on top of the other things. Not the main reason for doing it, if that makes sense.
I swear this isn’t an attack, however it sounds. Cross my heart, etc.
But the Santa/Coke thing DEFINITELY has to be an America thing, because I never make that connection. It doesn’t even occur to me.
Even the big, red, jolly, fat Santa doesn’t make me think of coke (the fizzy drink or the illicit substance).
I guess the connection never made it over the Atlantic?
It may not make you think of it, but Coca-Cola ads from back in the day were what popularized the depiction nevertheless.
Before that, Santa often looked skinnier and wore a larger variety of colors, among other differences.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/how-santa-brought-coca-cola-cold
Coca-Cola wasn’t the first manufacturer to try and use Santa as a lead-in for their product. Ivory Soap is shown at the beginning of the article. So once the idea of commercializing Christmas took off, everyone jumped on. The reason for Coca-Cola to try a connection was simply to keep sales numbers up during the winter, as they were seen as a summer drink.
Oh I never imagined they were.
I was just commenting on the Coke/Santa thing.
It’s not something I’d ever thought of.
Actually now I think about it I don’t associate Santa with anything in particular. Aside from - you know - Christmas.
Must be an American thing then, to commercialize everything. Santa is used to sell just about anything.
Yeah…
We get lots of Christmas adverts over here, but they seem to be mostly about families and shops.
If Santa does appear he seems to be in the periphery of things. He’s not the driving force (I’M SANTA AND I CAN SELL YOU THIS STUFF) more of a “Come down to <insert shop here> for Christmas and we’ll make your family happy. You can also see Santa!”
He’s kind of a bonus thing on top of the other things. Not the main reason for doing it, if that makes sense.
Heh, I’m from EU tho. Ads were runnin year to year and I, as a kiddo, made connection.