Coca Cola 1931 Santa Claus

Christmas advertising had become a powerful part of coca cola s business operations.

Coca cola 1931 santa claus. In 1931 the company began placing coca cola ads in popular magazines. The coca cola company began its christmas advertising in the 1920s with shopping related ads in magazines like the saturday evening post. Sundblom s gorgeous illustrations from 1931 to 1964 helped codify our image of santa today.

Sundblom drew inspiration from an 1822 poem by clement clark moore called a visit from st. Coca cola helped shape the image of santa. In 1931 the company commissioned the services of d arcy advertising agency and michigan born artist haddon sundblom to create a campaign featuring a more wholesome and approachable santa claus something that captured the true essence of santa himself and wasn t just a man dressed up in a costume.

Those paintings established santa as a warm happy character with human features including rosy cheeks a white beard twinkling eyes and laughter lines. The red and white santa figure existed long before coca cola began featuring him in print advertisements and he had already supplanted a bevy of competitors to become the standard representation. Sundblom is best remembered for his advertising work specifically the santa claus advertisement.

Success was minimal until 1931 when artist haddon sundblom seen right created his santa. The company wouldn t start advertising with santa until the 1930s. Sundblom s claus firmly established the larger than life grandfatherly claus as a key figure in american christmas imagery.

October 5th 2010 3 comments 1930 1950. In 1930 artist fred mizen painted a department store santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of coke. It was he who drew santa claus in a red suit during the twenties when he painted for the coca cola company starting in 1931.

The first santa ads used a strict looking claus in the vein of thomas nast. But in 1931 coca cola commissioned illustrator haddon sundblom to paint santa for christmas advertisements. Archie lee the d arcy advertising agency executive working with the coca cola company wanted the campaign to show a wholesome santa who was both realistic and symbolic.