2024 Lifetime Achievement Award

In Coca-Cola's Holiday Advert, Santas Are Everywhere

He's coming to town in a whole new way

So. Many. Santas.

The city’s crackling with Kringles in Coca-Cola’s holiday spot.

Crafted by Open X and Stink Films’ directing collective Traktor, “The World Needs More Santas” shows St. Nicks hustling down busy streets, riding the subway, pumping iron, skateboarding and prepping gifts for Dec. 25.

Video Reference
Coca-Cola | The World Needs More Santas

The twist at the end? We’re all Santas, inspired by the season to be our best jolly old selves.

That’s a simple, relatable message in keeping with the ethos of a brand which has long focused on Christmas to generate memorable campaigns. Clocking in around 2-minutes, the work certainly tallies, offering unabashedly memorable visuals unencumbered by narrative trickery.

Celeste’s “I Could Be Santa Claus” works wonders on the soundtrack. It’s playfully on point but not overly familiar. (Though the imagery puts the Twilight Zone’s “do do do do” theme in our heads).

“‘The World Needs More Santas’ hinges on the idea that through acts of kindness, anyone can embrace their inner Santa. Kindness is one of the brand’s core values,” Islam ElDessouky, global creative, strategy and content lead for Coke, tells Marketing Week.

Notably, the work weds snappy visuals—a hallmark of the brand’s recent tech-infused outings—with traditional yuletide themes. That fizzy festive combo delivers the goods with style and heart.

The hero film drops today, with other seasonal elements to follow. These include more videos, a “Find Your Inner Santa” quiz across DOOH and packaging, as well as Christmas cards powered by AI (what else?).

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