The modern figure of Santa Claus — white beard, red suit, and a kindly expression — is often linked to the imagery created by Coca-Cola’s advertising campaigns.
But is that really where his myth was born? Not quite! The story of Santa Claus has roots far older than we might imagine.
The earliest example is connected to Saint Nicholas of Myra (or Bari), a bishop who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, known for his generosity toward the poor and especially children.
Devotion to him spread to Italy, where he became the patron saint of Bari, and especially to Northern Europe. It was precisely in Protestant countries, particularly in Dutch territory, that Saint Nicholas took on the name Sinterklaas, from which the famous American Santa Claus would later derive.
And this is where the myth of Santa Claus was born.
Saint Nicholas was often depicted wearing red, but that wasn’t the only color associated with Santa Claus. In many Nordic and pagan traditions, he was shown dressed in white or green — a color connected to nature and the spirits of the forest, symbolizing hope and the return of life after winter.
So then, what does Coca-Cola have to do with all this?
The Coca-Cola Santa Claus
In the 1930s, Coca-Cola decided to portray the Christmas spirit in its own way, and that’s when Santa Claus began to truly resemble the Santa we all know today.
Illustrator Haddon Sundblom, an artist known for his bright and realistic style, was commissioned to create the 1931 Christmas advertising campaign. The color choice was no coincidence, but the natural result of combining Coca-Cola’s palette: deep red and brilliant white.
This Coca-Cola campaign therefore definitively transformed the figure of Santa Claus, turning him into a global symbol — the most “pop” of all! A reinterpretation so powerful that it permanently cemented the modern image of Santa in the popular imagination.
Do you know what other symbol became a Coca-Cola icon? The polar bear! A symbol of warmth and family, it evokes both the icy feel of the drink and the atmosphere of winter and the holiday season. Its official debut dates back to 1993, with the famous Northern Lights campaign (but we’ll have time to talk more about that!).
Below, we’ve included some of Coca-Cola’s most famous Christmas campaigns!