Traditions around Christmas have evolved and changed throughout history and Christmas commercials, for sure, have lately played an important role because they have evolved from simple posters for promoting products into cultural events—mini-movies that annually are on our screens.
Check these old Christmas ads
In the past brands focused on products; posters were the primary large-format visual advertisement and the hidden message was more or less straightforward “Buy this specific product” and associate it with the joy of the holidays. Nowadays brands use powerful storytelling: the scenes we often see on posters or screens feature family reunions, unexpected kindness, or the simple magic of the season.
Whether we speak about posters or commercials, at the core of nearly every successful Christmas commercial lie three timeless, universal values: Togetherness, Generosity, and Gratitude.
Generosity
Sainsbury – Christmas truce
Togetherness
John Lewis 2015 – Man on the Moon
Gratitude
John Lewis 2018 – Elton John
These commercials and advertisements are often criticized for driving consumerism, but when done right, they can act as cultural touchstones, highlighting the true, enduring values of Christmas.
CLASS ACTIVITY
Create a gallery walk with the ads given in this article and ask students to find similarities and differences
How Coca Cola reinvented Christmas
Coca-Cola surely didn’t invent Christmas or Santa Claus, but they played an important role in shaping the modern, popular image of Santa Claus and successfully associating their brand with the holiday season to create a cultural phenomenon.
Before the 1930s, Santa’s appearance varied wildly from country to country. Sometimes he was depicted as a tall, gaunt man, sometimes as an elf, or wearing robes of various colors. in 1931, Coca-Cola commissioned an illustrator to create Santa for Christmas advertisements and the result was stunning. Coca Cola’s Santa was jolly and plump, dressed in a bright red suit with white fur trim, colors that matched the Coca-Cola brand. Moreover he was human and approachable. The illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, was inspired by 19th century popular poems and tales.
Sundblom continued to paint this iconic Santa until 1964, and his version became the definitive, global image of Santa Claus that we know today.
By associating their brand with the positive emotions, warmth, and gift-giving of Christmas, Coca-Cola made the soft drink relevant and desirable during the cold-weather holiday season. The ads often showed Santa taking a refreshing pause to enjoy a Coke while delivering toys.
Since 1995, the “Holidays Are Coming” campaign featuring the magical, illuminated Coca-Cola Christmas trucks has become an iconic symbol for the start of the holiday season for many people around the world.
It all started in 1995. The original TV commercial showed brightly illuminated, oversized Coca-Cola red trucks rolling through a snowy landscape, setting off lights and festive reactions as they passed.
The simple melody and repeated phrase “Holidays are coming!” became the signal of the start of the Christmas season.
And in 2000s Coca Cola brought the commercial to real life. Coca-Cola began sending real, massive, brightly-lit, Christmas trucks on tours across the US and later Europe.
These truck stops are not just photo opportunities; they are major community events. People queue for hours to take photos with the truck, participate in festive activities, and receive a free cold drink.
The physical truck tour has transformed the brand’s advertisement into a tangible and shared experience.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
CHRISTMAS ICONS
Students research the visual history of Santa Claus before 1931 to understand the changes Haddon Sundblom made. Then they must create a “Next Generation” Coca-Cola Christmas icon for Gen Z.
B1/B2 LEVEL
Warm up Ask students: “What tells you that Christmas is starting?” (Focus on traditions, lights, music)
Ask students: “What colors, sounds, and actions do you expect to see in a Christmas truck advertisement?”
Ask Students to sequence the main events:
- The children see the truck lights.
- The truck fleet drives through the snow.
- A person takes a sip of Coke.
- Santa winks.
Ask students to write a short paragraph imagining what happens after the truck leaves the town, using as many of the new vocabulary words as possible.
A1/A2 LEVEL
Warm up: Show pictures of Santa Claus before 1931 and ask students to brainstorm and write what comes into their mind.
Elicit vocabulary
Now show them Haddon Sundblom Coca-Cola Santa illustration. Give students sentence starters to describe the image, emphasizing simple structures:
- Santa is wearing a r___ suit.
- He has a w____ beard.
- His face is r____ and happy.
- He is s_______ (verb) in a chair.
- He has a bottle of C________.
Ask students to find and check off specific details in the picture (and practice there is/there are):
- Are there toys in the sack?
- Is there a fire/fireplace?
- Is Santa smiling or winking?
- Is the drink cold (ice/frost)?
Play “Spot the Difference”
Divide students in pairs. Give Student A the original Santa image and Student B a slightly altered version of the same image.
Student A describes the image to Student B, and Student B asks questions to identify the differences.
