Have you ever seen a Coca-Cola ad and immediately had a strong desire to drink one? The Coca-Cola Company has been very strong in the advertisement department over the years and has made many sales on impulse alone. The most recent one being the “Share a Coke, which emphasizes that people should not only buy one, but purchase another to share with someone else. While this one is strong, one in particular that always makes me think to buy an ice cold Coca-Cola is when Winter comes around and they start using Santa Claus to advertise.
It is really memorable for me since as a child I would always see Santa on a billboard or side of a bottle and think to myself, “Wow, even Santa Claus likes Coke! ” The strongest version of this ad in recent times was when they used the “Open Happiness” slogan in conjunction with Santa. The Santa Claus Open Happiness ads for Coca-Cola are effective because they showcase a symbolic person in order to help create an ethical appeal with the consumer and encourage feelings of happiness.
This advertisement has been used for several decades, the original usage of Santa was back in the 1920’s when he was used in shopping-related ads in magazines such as “The Saturday Evening Post”. The company has helped shaped the current image of Santa Claus due to many advertisements of Santa delivering toys, then stopping to take a break and read a letter paired with a nice cold glass of Coca-Cola. The illustrator who was commissioned to develop advertising images using Santa Claus was Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom drew inspiration from the 1882 poem “A Visit From St.
Nicholas”. Coca-Cola still features images based off of Sundblom’s original works. The particular ad that I have chosen was published 2013, the target audience is very universal to many as most people can relate to Santa Claus. The advertisement is also directed at people driving around and convincing them to stop somewhere to pick up a single bottle or pack of Coca-Cola to enjoy as a refreshment to quench their thirst. The ad is on a billboard with a nice semi dark blue with stars in the background. It prominently features Santa blowing the top of a glass Coca-Cola bottle.
When his breath connects with it, snowflakes spray forward and trickle down onto the “Open Happiness” slogan with Coca-Cola, which helps signify the drink being ice cold to enjoy. The text is written underneath in its classic font in a very bright and almost illuminated white. The advertisement itself has its own rhetorical appeals that help itself connect with the viewer. It makes appeals to ethos which is emphasized by the fact the company chose to use Santa Claus in order to represent Coca-Cola and that it is his drink of choice.
This helps create trust with the consumer and desire for the product. If Santa Claus drinks it, it must be great! Pathos, otherwise known as emotion is also utilized in this advertisement. Santa tends to bring people joyous thoughts when the holiday season comes around. The knowledge that Christmas is close means time spent with family and the excitement of gifts to come. The ad uses the promise of enjoyment by simply stating, “Open Happiness”. This message implies that if you simply open a bottle of Coca-Cola, it will bring you the feeling of joy that is then amplified by the consumption afterwards.
A feeling of magic is also conveyed with the use of Santa creating snowflakes with his breath. The one that the ad seems to be lacking in is reasoning, or logos. Nothing in the ad directly provides information to the consumer or any type of logic to help them make a rational decision. The advertisement in itself is still very effective considering they bring back Santa every year. While the advertisement itself lacks words, it makes up for it with imagery. The billboard for example brings a breath of fresh air to its surroundings as the area itself is filled with mostly darker colors.
It brings the feeling of happiness even without the product itself in your hands yet. Coca-Cola wanted to utilize Santa to not only help promote their product, but to help give children the belief that Santa does exist. He isn’t just some guy dressed up at the mall, he is an actual person that enjoys things that we enjoy ourselves. With all that we have discovered about Coca-Cola’s history with advertising and the usage of Santa Claus, we have gained a better understanding of how this advertisement helps draw consumers in.
With the appeals of ethos and pathos, Coca-Cola has managed to give its customers something that entices them without the need for silly statistics or false claims. While the Coca-Cola Company has had several ad campaigns throughout the decades, the ads containing Santa have been used the most consistently. They have always seemed to have a good understanding of their consumers and what makes their product sell so well throughout the world. The Santa Claus Open Happiness ads for Coca-Cola are effective because they showcase a symbolic person in order to help create an ethical appeal with the consumer and encourage feelings of happiness.
