The Strategy Behind Coca-Cola’s Holidays Campaign Featuring a City of Santas

There are few major brands that are as closely connected to the winter holiday season as Coca-Cola has positioned itself through decades of marketing. The iconic figure of Santa Claus has been a central component of that strategy over the last 92 years.

This year, the company’s holiday campaign has taken its affinity with the kind fellow and his spirit of generosity even further, showcasing a city of Santas alongside the requisite festive song “I Could Be Santa Claus” performed by British singer and songwriter Celeste, which plays throughout.

Running across 80 markets (with non-English speaking countries hearing an orchestral accompaniment instead), the narrative for the nearly two-minute-long film, The World Needs More Santas, focuses on the message of kindness.

The campaign is by WPP’s dedicated arm for the Coca-Cola business Open X, led by agencies VMLY&R, Ogilvy and Essence Mediacom, and the hero film was directed by Pontus Löwenhielm and produced by Stink Films.

“We want to bring people together and we want to be a reminder of goodwill,” Islam Eldessouky, global head of creative strategy and content for Coca-Cola, explained to Adweek.

He also revealed that the company has introduced an internal campaign pitching process across the Open X team, with ideas being encouraged around the ongoing “Real Magic” platform. The ideas taken forward are then qualitatively tested for insights and feedback before deciding whether to go to market.

We really want to showcase our values.

—Islam Eldessouky, global head of creative strategy and content, Coca-Cola

When asked about the value of traditional advertising, such as television in an increasingly digital marketing strategy, he stated that the medium’s use depends on the moment and whether the moment is “big enough to occupy a big space.”

Eldessouky cited moments such as Christmas and the Super Bowl as examples of “big” moments that justify leading with TV, but chose “other vehicles” to communicate the brand message. Events are proving an increasing focus in that respect.

Creating participation

To encourage more participation with the brand, Coca-Cola has been increasingly producing more digitally engaging campaigns in recent years, and the holidays are no exception with an accompanying “Find Your Inner Santa” quiz through the Coca-Cola App and mobile browsers, to determine the user’s type of “inner Santa.”

The use of AI is also present throughout the “Create Real Magic” platform, where users will be able to design and send self-made holiday postcards. The results of both are then prompted to be shared through the users’ social media channels with the hashtag #CocaColaChristmas.

“We work a lot with OpenAI, Bane and others because it allows us a chance to not only invite participation, but really democratize how people can be creative with the work and the campaign and feel part of it,” claimed Eldessouky.

The quiz will be promoted through on-pack QR codes, offering the chance to win prizes, including a trip to Santa’s official hometown of Rovaniemi. Out-of-home posters will run in each of the 80 markets, highlighting everyday moments that feature unexpected acts of kindness.

The annual Coca-Cola truck tour will also take place once again at events across various markets, encouraging participation through activities such as sending digital seasonal cards, enjoying local food stalls and meeting local charitable organizations.

“We try to always have a good balance between live events and digital experiences with inspiring pieces and seed people talking as well as through traditional media or even video platforms which are all super important,” said Eldessouky.

He clarifies that the main objective of this activation is not data collection. While he admitted it was part of the Coca-Cola ecosystem, it was not an outcome focused upon.

Credits:

Director: Pontus Lowenhielm, as part of the directing collective Traktor.
Production company U.K: Stink Films
Managing director/executive producer: John Chad
Line producer: Lucy Gossage
Production company Bulgaria: Icon Films
Executive producer: Millen Nickolov
Editorial: Final Cut, London
Editor: Rick Russell
Executive producer: Michelle Corney
Offline producer: Nikki Porter
Postproduction: VFX, Grading, Finishing – FrameStore, London
Creative director: VFX supervisor – Kamen Markov
Post producer: Alexia Paterson
WPP Open X led by VMLY&R, Ogilvy and Essence Mediacom.