Christmas Day is almost here, and that means Christmas commercials are really ramping up. I’ve come up with a list of the most memorable ever.
Some of these are pretty old. Some are from the 70s and 80s, while others are more recent. I don’t know really what it is about them, but each one has something specific that made them memorable. Maybe it was a character, a song, someone famous, or perhaps, that it just sucked so bad, it made some Christmas commercials become legendary.
Christmas Advertising Has Shaped How We View The Holidays
According to PBS, By the 20th century, mass advertising became commonplace. Consumer messages were now broadcast to the public through billboards, magazines, radio, and later the moving image of television. Mass advertising was what allowed the slowly developing idea of Christmas as a time to give gifts to go mainstream, and eventually, to define Christmas itself.
Businesses realized that Christmas commercials could be a brilliant money spinner. Seasonal advertisements began to emphasize the act of “giving gifts” as a major part of Christmas time by having Father Christmas physically display branded products to a growing consumer market. The link between this Christmas icon and consumer goods was made very obvious in advertising. Advertising took the fable of Father Christmas and linked him with physical brands, turning myth into a reality, something that could be touched, smelled, and experienced.
Thinking Of Dining Out This Christmas Eve? Check Out What’s Open!
In 1937 Coca Cola introduced the world to a simplified and more accessible version of Father Christmas, dressed in Coca-Cola red, this time without the traditional cape. In their ads he was named Santa Claus, in accordance with American tradition. Santa Claus became a personification of the brand and gave the brown liquid a personality and a face, associating the drink with one of the happiest yearly western celebrations. Coke repeated the same message every December, and the name “Santa” slowly replaced “Father Christmas” in popular parlance in the UK too. This led to the red suited man becoming the icon most associated with Christmas.
