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| cool news of the day |
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friday december 22 2006
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coca-claus
"Coke's ties with Santa can be traced back to American Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast, who drew him for Harper's Weekly in 1862 as a small, elf-like figure who supported the Union," reports Liz Clarke in The Mercury (12/21/06). That Santa was not only small but his suit was tan, not red (picture here - that's Santa in the upper left corner). Nast later changed the suit to red, which Coke also adopted for Santa's suit, allegedly because, well, red was Coke's color. You know, brand consistency. Granted, Coke's artists were basing their image on "the old figures of St. Nicholas -- the third-century Greek philanthropist who gave to the poor and vulnerable."
That was in the 1920s. It wasn't until 1931 that Coke first presented Santa, officially, "as a jolly old man beaming with good cheer ... in a series of advertisements wearing his scarlet outfit, carrying a large bag of toys." The makeover was based on "Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas (commonly called Twas the Night before Christmas.) ... Moore's description seemed just right for Coca-Cola's Santa -- warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human." If you didn't already know this, I hope it isn't bumming you out. For the record, Coke has posted its version of its most famous strategic alliance here.
The reality of it seems to be that Coke's "mission was more about proving that a cold drink could be popular in winter than the creation of a modern fairytale. But Santa stuck, and so did the ad campaign." This masterstroke of product placement certainly continues to thrive: "Consumers tell us that Coca-Cola advertising signifies the beginning of Christmas for them so we wanted to create an ad that captured the spirit of Christmas and the optimism that embodies this special time of year," Coke U.K.'s Cathryn Sleight told BrandRepublic. And so the latest Coca-Claus ad, via Mother, "celebrates the gift of giving." (video here). And the greatest gift is, yes, a curvy, cold bottle of Coca-Cola.
Tim Manners
editor
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footer notes
CMO Memo CMOs can offer management convincing, quantitative evidence of the impact brand marketing has on the bottom line. By James Gregory, ceo, Corebrand. (more)
Customer A.D.D. Ford, Wonder Bread and Wal-Mart got A.D.D. and lost their customers. Here's how they can get it back. By Robert Forrester, general partner, The Forrester Network. (more)
Color of Ideas. Pantone aspires to inspire the global creative community. By Drew Coburn and Jeff Verses of G2 Branding and Design. (more)
"This is one of my favorite Christmas Carols," says Roger McGuinn in The Folk Den. "I decided to record it as an instrumental on my Rickenbacker 370/12/RM. Originally named Antioch, it was named after the city of Antioch, Syria, where believers were first called 'Christians.'" (more)
Art of Shopping. If everything around Shopper Marketing is evolving, then so, too, must our approach to its creative. By Meg Kinney, evp of The Integer Group. (more)
Ringing Up Retail. More media dollars are flowing to retail, but how can marketers be sure their money is well spent? Featuring Mike Perry of Kraft Foods, Bob Thacker of OfficeMax, Lisa Bradner of Forrester Research and Jon Kramer of MediaCart Holdings. (more)
Communities of Commerce. When marketing people talk about "creating a community"... they are usually thinking figuratively. But for most people, "community" is a deeply held value, not just a marketing cliche. Find out why in "Communities of Commerce," a new Fast Company column by Tim Manners. (more)
Constantine Maroulis -- an American Idol -- on the vagaries of fan loyalty and life after 30 million viewers. (more)
Harley-Davidson creates cultural value by fostering deep-soul connections with its consumers. An analysis of a Reveries.com survey by Dori Molitor, ceo, WomanWise. (more)
Disney Relationship Magic. Knowing what to do next to make every vacation a perfect vacation -- that's how Tom Boyles is building guest loyalty at Disney Parks and Resorts. (more)
Coach, Starbucks and NASCAR use 'NextGen' strategies to create customer loyalty. By Jim Schroer, ceo of Carlson Marketing. (more)
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| John S. Dykes, illustrator |
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extra texture
For today's eclectic collection of marketing-relevant news headlines and trends -- updated twice a day -- please visit: extraTexture.com
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events
Return on Marketing Investment Conference. February 26-28, 2007, Miami. Leading organizations, across industries, will show you how to correlate your marketing spend to business results. You will hear from: NBC Universal, Wachovia, Best Buy, Scottrade, Food Network, Forbes.com, Duke University, Motorola, Wells Fargo, Nissan North America, Hilton Hotels, Sony Ericsson and many others. Mention the code XM1921COOL and receive a complimentary white paper. www.iirusa.com/romi
Youth Marketing Mega Event. March 25-28, 2007, Huntington Beach, CA.
More than 60 sessions will give you the information you need to get it right -- right product, right message, right media, right mix. Sessions deliver forward thinking by sharing forecasts, trend reports and case studies. Mention the code XM1909COOL and receive a complimentary white paper. www.youthmarketingmegaevent.com
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