Coca Cola didn’t invent Santa and they weren’t the first to portray him as a kindly old man with a white beard and a red coat.
But since they first became associated with Mr Claus back in the 1930s, the company has done little to dispel that particular persona.
Not only have they created those well known adverts where a truck tricked out in mega-watt fairy lights rolls into town, with Santa raising a fizzy toast on its side, but they also send out a fleet of real-life trucks to tour supermarkets, handing out refreshments to Christmas shoppers.
Cashing in on seasonal events such as Christmas isn’t new, of course, but it does appear to have reached some kind of marketing zenith with supermarkets and department stores out-competing one another to capture the essence of every season, from festive parties to Easter eggstravaganzas to summer barbecues.
From a reworking of Charlie and the Chocolate factory, a scenario where Paddington Bear mistakes a burglar for Santa Claus, to a 21st Century take on Cinderella, this year’s clutch of seasonal campaigns were all aimed at pressing every feel-good button we have.
But has marketing gone too far by being too over the top?
If you want to work in this business, it’s something you’ll undoubtedly have to decide for yourself . . . and soon.
Why? Because on s1jobs there are lots of exciting openings in marketing and PR and in many of these roles the first thing you could find yourself working on this month is the next big Christmas campaign.
Yes, incredibly, in many of the top agencies, the festive season is a work in progress all year round.
What message will you be selling? Will it be a continuation of the recent fad for Scandinavian hygge, with its emphasis on winter cosiness and conviviality, or will you come up with something truly original for your new company?
It’s tough to sell customers Christmas without falling back on tradition.
It’s one thing to surprise them with a fresh take on the seasonal theme but, if you push the boundaries too far, you could lose them altogether.
The final decision will rest with your customers – and that’s why research and knowing your market inside out are so important, whatever the season.
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