Fun fact:
Santa is the world’s 2nd most recognizable character, right after Mickey Mouse. (Go Santa!)
Just for fun, what if we updated Santa’s personal brand for 2020, with a bit of irreverent zest?
Let’s find out…
Santa Claus has a fascinating personal brand.
But... could it be outdated?
What would happen if the Santa Claus marketing team hired an ad agency to update the Christmas brand?
Read on to find out which classic traditions are supposedly “improved” through modern marketing!
(Quick tip: Use these ideas as conversational nuggets for your holiday cocktail party!)
MEMO TO: The Santa Claus marketing team
Hello team, great to see you all at North Pole headquarters last week.
As promised, we've pulled together a list of ideas to improve Christmas marketing.
1. We need cooler jingles: Too many of our jingles (a.k.a. “Christmas carols”) are outdated.
Solution: Update content with fresher topics. For instance: “They grow up so fast. This Christmas at home, next Christmas out on their own.”
2. Modernize spokesperson image: Parental groups are complaining that Santa is a poor role model, because of his obesity and pipe smoking.
Solution: Consider partnering with CrossFit or the Whole30 company for a “before/after” campaign with Santa.
3. Improve Santa’s Google search results: Consumers are searching online for Santa under too many different search terms (St. Nicholas, Old Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, etc.).
Solution: Focus all SEO on “Santa.” Cut jargon such as ‘Twas, ‘Tis, O’, and Yon.
4. Attract the Millennial demographic: We’re losing market share to competitors such as Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Christmas holds a leadership position with two billion consumers, but trending downward. To expand the Christmas brand, start by increasing appeal to unreached segments.
Solution: Introduce eggnog laced with hand-crafted, small-batch spirits to attract more Millennials.
5. Avoid protests: Animal-rights bloggers could protest reindeer mistreatment, since our reindeer activity continues longer than 8 hours on Christmas Eve.
Solution: Check with the legal dept. and argue that overtime doesn’t count across multiple time zones.
6. Introduce a Santa sidekick: Other iconic characters have some sort of sidekick. For instance, Jolly Green Giant had Sprout. Scooby Doo had Scrappy Doo. Dr. Evil had Mini-Me.
Solution: What kind of lil’ sidekick can we cast with Santa? (Note: The media department says we could broaden demographic appeal by casting taller elves.)
7. Elf labor: Hourly employee overhead is rising.
Solution: No more written lists from kids or in-person appearances from Santa. The Christmas list database is going digital.
8. Merge with another holiday: December calendar is too cluttered. We need to stand out!
Solution: Co-brand a holiday with Winter Solstice, so it’s a twofer holiday. (Do we have the budget to acquire New Year’s Eve?)
9. Christmas vs. Birthday: Santa is losing retail sales to birthday gifts throughout the year. This needs to stop.
Solution: Stir up some buzz by taking on the competition directly with a iPhone vs. Android approach… Christmas vs. Birthday.
In closing…
Thank you, Santa marketing team, for inviting us to share our ideas. Looking forward to your feedback next month at the annual retreat in Cancun.
Sincerely,
Acme Marketing Company
(Now of course, this is all in good fun. You know how Sally says, “You don’t need to CHANGE who you are, you need to become MORE of who you are.” Santa doesn’t need to change. But it’s fun to play with his personal brand!)
What’s your favorite suggestion here? Tell us below in the comments!
Fun! I have so much fun being creative with the business, but on Christmas Eve, it's nice to brainstorm just for fun. Merry Christmas!
Let's dispense with the Naughty or Nice list. Makes the old guy look too judgmental -- and vulnerable to market share loss to Jesus and Pope Francis.
Also, partner with FitBit to create seasonal, branded wristbands. Updates the Santa brand with a healthy tie-in while keeping the brand name visible to brand loyalists all year long.
I am living and working in Spain where it is only in recent years that Christmas has become a big deal. Today 24th, all the towns are deserted and almost all the bars and accommodations for the tourist industry are tightly shut with the shutters down and the lights off. Christmas is one of the few times of the year when families have a chance to get together, and it is a shame that the endless pursuit of making more money means the future generation will know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. I wonder if anyone out there reading this understands the way society is heading.
I like your marketing ideas.. but will continue to celebrate as usual.... messy, too many holiday season.. awesome! Just like it is.. And maybe some of the ideas can translate to my business.. Sometimes it's good to freshen =up our image.
I'm with you on this one Geoff!
Too cute!
This Secret Weapon loves your tongue-in-cheek approach to Santa's brand. Hilarious!
Merry Christmas, and look forward to more fascinating emails in the coming year
P.s. Tell that marketing team that Christmas vs. birthday just won't cut it - we love both (and even celebrate birthdays for a whole week - I hear rumours that Mimi Kirk celebrates for a whole month!) so maybe just...errr...extend Christmas...
Wow, tough crowd!
I read it as a funny poke at marketing "sensibilities." And I'm the preacher in the crowd!
Merry Christmas, Sally!
This article is so stupid it finally motivated me to take the time to unsubscribe from Sally's emails.
Well, I like some of this but some if it reminds me of either being tongue in cheek (I hope) or being politically correct. eg, Santa to collaborate with Weight Watchers? Cooler jungles? No more writtend lists?
Seriously, I agree with Geoff - Leave Santa alone.
So many of our traditions have been changed to be unrecognizable. Leave Santa alone and don't cave in to the minority who thinks everything should change to meet today's culture.