Jingle all the way: The Elfolution of Christmas advertising

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Ho ho ho! The Christmas season is fast approaching, and with it, the jingle of bells, the smell of roasts, the green of mistletoe and the fun and frivolity that the silly season brings. It's such a great time of year, especially if you have young kids when the magic of Christmas is alive and well.

There's so much to look forward to - end-of-year work parties, family gatherings, and the big day on the 25th of December. It's also a busy time of year for advertisers and companies, with the last-minute flurry of shopping for gifts and supplies for the festive season.

This informative article will share the elfolution (no, that's not a typo) of Christmas advertising through the years and how advertising professionals who have studied for an MBA online and other qualifications have advertised the silly season. Continue reading to learn more.

The midwinter solstice period has always been celebrated, even by pagans, long before the advent of Christianity worldwide. However, the Christmas that we know and love today originates in the Victorian period in Great Britain.

That's when the idea of Christmas as a family holiday, complete with gift-giving, a decorated tree, and a shared dinner or lunch, became a central part of the celebration. In most Christian nations, Christmas is also celebrated with a religious mass - which is where the name comes from: "Christ" and "mass".

Another defining moment in Christmas history was the Charles Dickens short story, A Christmas Carol, which linked traditional Christian values with sharing wealth and a "generosity of spirit". The book sold out during its first printing period in 1843 and set the tone for the mid-Victorian renewal of the Christmas holiday.

This early version of Father Christmas was mainly associated with the adult celebration and originated in the Christian Saint Nicholas. However, during the Victorian era, with their new focus on family and Christian values, Father Christmas began to be linked to giving gifts to friends and family. Images of Christmas were recreated in popular culture through various print media such as magazines, newspapers and even in live theatre.

These images visually defined the holiday spirit, and how it should be celebrated, and advertisers began to take advantage of the opportunity for profit.

By the early 20th century, mass advertising became commonplace for all consumer goods and services. Advertising messages were now broadcast to the public through billboards, radio, print and later, the moving image of television. Mass advertising allowed the slowly developing idea of Christmas as a gift-giving period to infiltrate the mainstream.

Companies soon realised that Christmas could be a brilliant money spinner, with the popularity of gift giving. Seasonal advertisements began to emphasise the act of gift-giving as a significant part of Christmas by having Father Christmas physically display branded products across the different advertising mediums.

The link between Father Christmas and consumer goods was prolific in advertising, as illustrated in this advertisement from Newball and Mason, to sell an assortment of alcoholic spirits to consumers. Advertising took the fable of Father Christmas and linked the jolly fat man with physical brands and the Christmas spirit.

Coca-Cola is an example of a massive brand that mastered the iconic Christmas advert with style and grace. One of the first Christmas Coca-Cola ads aired in 1958 - a wholesome depiction of a family of four sledding down a hill, making a pit stop for a refreshing Coke, before sliding up to their fireplace.

However, the advertisement they're best known for is the well-known and loved "'Holidays are Coming" ad - first aired nearly twenty years ago in 1995 - which features the famous lit-up festive Coca-Cola trucks.

Also, In 1937 Coca Cola featured an advertisement of Father Christmas dressed in Coca-Cola bright, vibrant red. In their ads, he was named Santa Claus, following the American tradition that Dutch Immigrants imported to the new world.

Santa Claus quickly became a personification of the Coca-Cola brand and gave the fizzy brown liquid a personality and a face. Coke repeated the same advertising message every December, and the name "Santa" slowly replaced "Father Christmas" in popular language in the UK and the USA.

Now that we've covered the history of Christmas advertising and the evolution of Father Christmas and Santa Claus, let's touch on how Christmas is advertised in the modern era.

While Christmas advertising was primarily limited to traditional forms of marketing such as billboards, television, radio, magazines and print media like newspapers, the emergence of the internet changed the advertising landscape forever, and with it, Christmas advertising.

Nowadays, brands diversify their advertising efforts, and you will see Christmas advertising across various digital platforms. Companies advertise on websites, with website owners selling advertising space to brands, often through internet browsers that generate advertisements while people browse the internet.

In addition to website advertising, companies also reach their target audience via search engine marketing or search engine advertisements that appear at the top of search engine results pages. In the lead-up to Christmas, you'll often see advertisements for gifts and Christmas supplies or event bookings, which appear through targeted keywords, such as when someone searches for "Christmas gift ideas" or something similar.

Finally, social media is a massive market for advertisers. Billions of people use Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms daily. This is a perfect, captive audience, and brands will advertise Christmas specials or deals via social media platforms. Often, a brand will launch a targeted campaign for the festive season, with advertisements Christmas or holiday-themed to entice consumers.

This informative article has jingled all the way and shared about the elfolution of Christmas advertising, from the modern holiday's origins in the Victorian era in Britain, to modern digital advertising techniques.