Why Does Santa Always Wear Red?


 

While Coca-Cola has had a subtle, pervasive influence on our culture, it has definitely shaped the way we think of Santa. Prior to the advertising illustrations created by Haddon Sunblom illustrations in the 1930s, the Christmas saint had been variously illustrated wearing blue, yellow, green, or red. After the soft drink ads, Santa would forever more be a huge, fat, relentless happy man with a broad belt and black hip boots- and he would wear Coca-Cola red. Coca-Cola commissioned artist Sunblom to create a marketable Santa that would fit Coca-Cola’s advertising campaigns to get more people to drink soda in the colder months. Not only did this campaign work, but it etched one of the most important and popular icons in American, and possibly human, history. 

There are three basic criteria for an effective brand strategy:

1.People should like it.

2.It should sell something.

3.It should last a long time.

Coca-Cola’s version of Santa is definitely a home run.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!