Coca-Cola’s holiday campaigns are among the most iconic in advertising history. They blend creativity, branding, storytelling, and cultural influence. While many associate the brand with Santa Claus in a red suit, the real story is far richer—and often misunderstood. From early illustrations to magazine ads, Coca-Cola has carefully crafted a festive image that resonates with audiences. However, the company has never claimed to have made Christmas red.
In 1931, the company launched a series of magazine ads featuring an approachable, joyful, and symbolic Santa Claus. The goal was to capture the warmth and generosity of the holiday season while subtly reflecting the brand’s values. Instead of creating a legend from scratch, Coca-Cola’s marketing genius lay in amplifying existing imagery and emotions, transforming them into an enduring cultural icon.
Many believe that Santa Claus’s red clothing is due to Coca-Cola’s branding. That’s not true.
A lot of people think Coca-Cola invented Santa’s red suit, but that’s not true. Many people believe that Coca-Cola invented Santa’s red suit, but that is not true. Although Coca-Cola is one of the oldest brands, it is not old enough to have been the first to give Santa a red suit. Red-coated Santas appeared in illustrations long before Coca-Cola’s iconic red color branding existed. To bring Santa Claus to life in its advertising, Coca-Cola hired artist Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom developed a fresh, memorable image of the beloved figure. Inspired by Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” Sundblom portrayed Santa as a warm, friendly, and very human character—a far cry from the stern or mystical depictions of earlier eras.
His illustrations emphasized Santa’s jovial personality, round cheeks, and twinkling eyes, creating a figure that felt approachable and relatable to families. By blending tradition with modern artistic techniques, Sundblom provided Coca-Cola with a series of images that captured the spirit of the holidays and reinforced the brand’s identity as cheerful, generous, and culturally connected. Through creative company rebranding and emotional advertising campaigns, the beverage giant helped cement this joyful, approachable version of Santa in the popular imagination.
The first Coca-Cola Branded Santa was inspired by a salesman
Initially, Haddon Sundblom based his design of Santa Claus on a real-life model—his friend Lou, a retired salesman. By observing Lou’s expressions, gestures, and personality, Sundblom crafted a Santa who felt approachable and full of life. He later refined the character using old photographs, finalizing the iconic Coca-Cola Santa we recognize today.
This campaign was one of the earliest advertising and branding successes in modern history, and it set the stage for future campaigns that would become even more successful. Coca-Cola maintained a long-term partnership with Sundblom’s Santa because audiences found the character so appealing. This ensured that the character would continue to appear in a consistent way over the course of several decades.
Over the course of 33 years, Sundblom painted numerous versions of Coca-Cola advertisements and posters. His work was featured in prominent publications such as Ladies’ Home Journal, The Saturday Evening Post, National Geographic, and The New Yorker, reaching millions. Through these images, Coca-Cola did more than sell beverages; it helped shape the visual spirit of Christmas itself, creating a joyful connection between the brand, the holiday, and generations of families around the world.