Overtime for Santa Claus
Pucci Sulzer and cR DDB are following in Coca-Cola's advertising footsteps—though they are not alone.
Pucci Sulzer and cR DDB are following in Coca-Cola's advertising footsteps - and not aloneBy Simone Keller The American Santa Claus, Santa Claus, is on a promotional tour in Switzerland. Not only for Coca-Cola, but also for Migros, Coop, and Co. the well-fed, bearded Santa is vigorously beating the advertising drums.
Santa Claus comes on December 6 - every child in this country knows that. Nevertheless, the dear old man with the white beard is still present on posters, in shop windows and on TV until Christmas. The culprit is Santa Claus, St. Nicholas' uncle from America, who has made the leap across the pond with the Coca-Cola Christmas promotion and is visibly gaining a foothold in local creative departments.
This was also the case with cR DDB, which was entrusted with a festive campaign as part of the Coop umbrella brand presence. In order to publicize the ongoing promotions during Advent, the Basel team immediately harnessed Santa himself in front of the communications sleigh. Whether with a wine glass, a dab of cream on his nose or behind the Christmas tree, the winking Santa-Coop ensures a presence on advertising material in the run-up to Christmas.
The good old man from the Nordpool also made a brief stop at the competitor Migros to hawk their promotions as well. The Zurich agency Pucci Sulzer has developed a special Advent calendar to publicize the discounts. From December 1 to 23, a wide variety of chicks will each present a product as part of a casting. The search is on for the perfect Santa Claus, who will of course only be discovered on the eve of Christmas.
For Americans, marketing is always about serving the customer
The two major distributors are by no means the only ones trying to boost sales of their products through Advent with Santa Claus as the draught horse. Whether for Coca-Cola, Swisscom or Bol.ch, Santa Claus and his reindeer are almost omnipresent this year. "We were surprised ourselves that the figure of Santa Claus is being used so aggressively this year," admits Peter Graf, campaign manager for Coop at cR DDB.
Other approaches had also been examined, but it had to be determined that figures such as the Christ Child or angel "can't do everything". The Coop-typical wink suited a chubby Santa Claus better than an ethereal angel. Däni Sulzer, CD at Pucci Sulzer, explains the idea behind the Migros spots in a similar way. "The figure of Santa Claus leaves the most room for maneuver.
The Christ Child, after all, is rather sacred; you can't very well stage this figure in a mischievous way or have him play pranks." Both creations were inspired by American models such as the Coca-Cola campaigns or the Hollywood production "Miracle on 34th Street" with Richard Attenborough. According to Peter Graf, the Coop Santa is based on this.
While our Santa Claus visits the children on December 6, his American counterpart climbs down the chimney the night before Christmas to put the presents under the Christmas tree - a task that is done here in the country by the Christ Child. Just as Halloween makes All Saints' Day consumer-friendly with pumpkins and witches, U.S. Christmas traditions are making their way into Swiss shopping stores. "The Americans effortlessly manage to short-circuit marketing and religion," explains David Bosshart, GDI's managing director. "Marketing there is always worship of the customer. Here, despite all the secularization, people are more cautious when it comes to religion."
Nevertheless, there is a clear trend in the same direction, says Bosshart and continues: "If the Pope sells rap CDs to promote the Vatican and the good Lord and to acquire new customers, there are hardly any more taboos to break." Let's hope that fat Santa doesn't one day even tip the poor Christ Child out of his manger in Swiss living rooms.
Santa Claus comes on December 6 - every child in this country knows that. Nevertheless, the dear old man with the white beard is still present on posters, in shop windows and on TV until Christmas. The culprit is Santa Claus, St. Nicholas' uncle from America, who has made the leap across the pond with the Coca-Cola Christmas promotion and is visibly gaining a foothold in local creative departments.
This was also the case with cR DDB, which was entrusted with a festive campaign as part of the Coop umbrella brand presence. In order to publicize the ongoing promotions during Advent, the Basel team immediately harnessed Santa himself in front of the communications sleigh. Whether with a wine glass, a dab of cream on his nose or behind the Christmas tree, the winking Santa-Coop ensures a presence on advertising material in the run-up to Christmas.
The good old man from the Nordpool also made a brief stop at the competitor Migros to hawk their promotions as well. The Zurich agency Pucci Sulzer has developed a special Advent calendar to publicize the discounts. From December 1 to 23, a wide variety of chicks will each present a product as part of a casting. The search is on for the perfect Santa Claus, who will of course only be discovered on the eve of Christmas.
For Americans, marketing is always about serving the customer
The two major distributors are by no means the only ones trying to boost sales of their products through Advent with Santa Claus as the draught horse. Whether for Coca-Cola, Swisscom or Bol.ch, Santa Claus and his reindeer are almost omnipresent this year. "We were surprised ourselves that the figure of Santa Claus is being used so aggressively this year," admits Peter Graf, campaign manager for Coop at cR DDB.
Other approaches had also been examined, but it had to be determined that figures such as the Christ Child or angel "can't do everything". The Coop-typical wink suited a chubby Santa Claus better than an ethereal angel. Däni Sulzer, CD at Pucci Sulzer, explains the idea behind the Migros spots in a similar way. "The figure of Santa Claus leaves the most room for maneuver.
The Christ Child, after all, is rather sacred; you can't very well stage this figure in a mischievous way or have him play pranks." Both creations were inspired by American models such as the Coca-Cola campaigns or the Hollywood production "Miracle on 34th Street" with Richard Attenborough. According to Peter Graf, the Coop Santa is based on this.
While our Santa Claus visits the children on December 6, his American counterpart climbs down the chimney the night before Christmas to put the presents under the Christmas tree - a task that is done here in the country by the Christ Child. Just as Halloween makes All Saints' Day consumer-friendly with pumpkins and witches, U.S. Christmas traditions are making their way into Swiss shopping stores. "The Americans effortlessly manage to short-circuit marketing and religion," explains David Bosshart, GDI's managing director. "Marketing there is always worship of the customer. Here, despite all the secularization, people are more cautious when it comes to religion."
Nevertheless, there is a clear trend in the same direction, says Bosshart and continues: "If the Pope sells rap CDs to promote the Vatican and the good Lord and to acquire new customers, there are hardly any more taboos to break." Let's hope that fat Santa doesn't one day even tip the poor Christ Child out of his manger in Swiss living rooms.
