---
title: "Iconic Christmas ads: from Coca-Cola to today's campaigns"
description: "No, Coca-Cola did not invent the red Santa. A breakdown of iconic Christmas advertising, from the Sundblom myth to modern emotional sagas."
url: "https://publicitefrance.com/en/avant-apres/pubs-de-noel-cultes/"
lang: en
translated_from: "https://publicitefrance.com/avant-apres/pubs-de-noel-cultes/"
category: "Before/After"
publisher: "PubliCité France"
updated: "2026-08-02"
alternate_fr_md: "https://publicitefrance.com/avant-apres/pubs-de-noel-cultes.md"
keywords: ["Christmas ads", "Coca-Cola Santa", "holiday advertising", "Christmas campaign"]
sources:
  - "https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/coca-cola-santa-claus-origin/"
  - "https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/haddon-sundblom-and-the-coca-cola-santas"
---

# Iconic Christmas ads: from Coca-Cola to today's campaigns

**In short:** no, Coca-Cola did not invent the red Santa. The brand **standardised and spread** the image worldwide from 1931 — a key lesson: a brand doesn't need to invent a symbol to own it; it just needs to repeat it loudly enough.

## The Coca-Cola myth, corrected
- **The legend**: Coca-Cola supposedly invented the red-and-white Santa to match its brand colours.
- **The reality**: a Santa in a red coat with white fur trim **already existed** before Coca-Cola. In 1931, the brand commissioned illustrator **Haddon Sundblom** to create a warm Santa, inspired by **Clement Clarke Moore's** poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823). Coca-Cola didn't invent the image — it standardised and spread it globally.

The marketing lesson: people don't remember *who created* a symbol, but *who repeated it loudest*. Coca-Cola turned its Santa into a distinctive brand asset — and even into an origin legend.

## Why Christmas is advertisers' ultimate playground
- **A yearly appointment**: audiences wait for year-end ads, compare and comment on them.
- **A licence for emotion**: it's the one moment a brand can make you cry without seeming out of place (John Lewis-style sagas).
- **A commercial peak**: behind the emotion lies retail's most important month.

## Before / After: from symbol to emotional saga

| | Before | After (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Register | Brand world (Santa, truck) | Short film, story, endearing character |
| Repetition | Identical every year | Teasing + reveal + social cut-downs |
| Distribution | Prime-time TV | TV + YouTube + TikTok + retail media |
| Message | "we are the magic" | "a story that looks like you" |

The common thread is the **ritual**. Before, brands repeated a reassuring symbol; today, they tell an anticipated story. Either way, the brand wants to become a *piece of Christmas*.

## What it teaches brands in 2026
- **Repeat your distinctive assets** (character, music, colour): they end up belonging to you.
- **Christmas = a licence to move people**, but stay sincere (audiences sense calculated emotion).
- **Think season, not spot**: teasing, film, social cut-downs, in-store activation.
- **Myths are built**: a good brand story tells itself.

## FAQ
**Did Coca-Cola invent the red Santa?**
No. A red-and-white Santa existed before Coca-Cola's campaigns. In 1931, Haddon Sundblom created a warm version for the brand, which then standardised and spread it worldwide.

**Why are Christmas ads so emotional?**
Christmas is one of the rare moments when audiences accept — even expect — emotionally charged communication, often as a narrative short film.

**What makes a good Christmas ad today?**
A sincere story, an endearing character, recurring brand assets, and a multichannel setup rather than a single spot.

## Sources
- Snopes — origin of Santa Claus: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/coca-cola-santa-claus-origin/
- Coca-Cola — Haddon Sundblom & the Coca-Cola Santas: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/haddon-sundblom-and-the-coca-cola-santas

---
*PubliCité France — Before/After section. Cited brands belong to their owners. French version: /avant-apres/pubs-de-noel-cultes/*