Coca-Cola revives popular 'holidays are coming' ad

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic, 16 November 2007, 1:05pm

LONDON - Coca-Cola is bringing back its 'holidays are coming' ad, following scores of calls to its customer information centre from people who said it marked the beginning of Christmas.

Tony Davidson and Kim Papworth

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Coca-Cola has decided to use two of its best-loved ads during the Christmas period, kick-starting with "holidays are coming" from November 18.

This will be followed by its latest Christmas ad "the greatest gift", created by Mother last year.

The "holidays are coming" ad features a train of red Coca-Cola lorries bedecked in fairy lights driving through a snowy landscape. Everything they pass lights up as people turn to stare at the lorries driving through.

"The greatest gift" brings back the traditional image of Santa with the aim of capturing the magic of Christmas and celebrating the gift of giving.

Coca-Cola will also be running two on-pack promotions created by BD-NTWK during the festive period, including "win a white Christmas" on 500ml bottles of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero.

A gift-giving advent calendar is also featured on Coca-Cola and Diet Coke 24x330ml multipacks.

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All Comments

Andy Knell - 17 November 2007

Husband: baby whats for dinner?

Wife: Hang on hun .. I'm just calling coca cola to ask them to run their 'holidays are coming ad' as its a good reminder of when christmas is

do us a favour, treat us with some intelligence

Andy Knell - 17 November 2007

does scores of calls mean poppie-marie-lousie, the new intern in accounts called

Sarah Vernon - 19 November 2007

There is actually a Facebook group called something like 'You know it's Christmas when the Coca Cola ad is on TV'... and if Facebook says it, it must be true.

Rupz Saund - 19 November 2007

Lets see what happens when the Documentary is shown (Dispatches) - they wont have 'bring on the Christmas Ads' then...!

Andy Knell - 19 November 2007

Yes, I immediately thought of the facebook group when I read this piece. Another example of the power and influence social networking is having upon the marketing arena I feel- or vice versa!

What came first, the enthusiastic brand fan chicken, or the subtle avant-garde marketing egg?

Andy Knell - 20 November 2007

so who set the group up? Come on ... are we to believe its the joe public.

Peter Petrelli - 20 November 2007

As much as we moan about the mystery facebook group and people who winged about the Christmas advert not being on tv yet. Coca-Cola and Christmas do actually go hand in hand.

In 1931, the Coca-Cola company hired an artist named Haddon Sundblom to create the artwork for a massive Christmas advertising campaign they were preparing. Until then, the soda was primarily a summer drink, with sales dropping off sharply in the cooler winter months. Coke hoped to reverse this trend by somehow linking the drink to the winter holy holidays ... and they decided the most effective way to do that would be to make Santa a Coke drinker.

The campaign also was the first one to feature Father Christmas in the now traditional Red and White suit, up until then his suit was green.

Andy Knell - 24 November 2007

thats all well and everyone in marketing knows that, however are we to believe the public waits for the commercial,

bruce collier - 16 May 2008

i believe that the selected few in society that wait for christmas are the types that adhere to all hallmark promoted holidays as though their lives depended on it. They aren't exactly a relative representaion of the 'public' and although coke may well have managed to manipulate the minds of the masses and create a 'face' for christmas, that face is only a superficial gimmic. It just acts as a catalyst for develpoment, it certainly doesn't make my christmas a coke filled one!

bruce collier - 16 May 2008

and the fact that his suit was only green before the campaign was dependant on where you were from.. its based on traditional ecclesiastical vestments which changed from area to area. many had promoted him in red but just not to the same extent... i just think coke are getting a little too much credit here thats all... i'd like to think that society had a little more control over christmas than cokes marketing campiagns do!