Right from 1863, when Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, created the figure of Santa Claus with the red suit, his face has appeared in countless Christmas adverts. From cigarettes to snacks, Santa Claus has been the most popular pitchman for Christmas advertisements. Well, going down memory lane and remembering these vintage adverts is funny and nostalgic. Let’s dive right in!
Colgate
Although we all know Colgate as a toothpaste brand today, the company used to produce many other products in the late 90s. They used to produce bath suds then– and they also advertised with Santa.
Courtesy: Pinterest
In 1962, Colgate advertised a popular stocking stuffer, Soaky Santa bath suds, in the Family Circle newspaper. Santa is seen standing on a pack of bath suds, winking at people to try them out. Well, the sparkling bubbles were fun to bathe in.
Murad
Murad, a famous cigarette company, had always used Santa as a pitchman since the First World War. So this advertisement is one of the most memorable ones featuring Santa Claus.
In 1920, Santa was used to advertise Murad, the Turkish cigarette. The advert, with the image of Santa smoking the cigarette up on the roof, first appeared in Country Life newspaper.
Del Monte
Since Christmas always involves gift-giving and cooking amazing delicacies, it’s not surprising that Santa is always the face of several condiment adverts. Santa Claus advertised this popular condiment in the Family Circle newspaper.
In 1962, Santa endorsed Del Monte Family Size Tomato Catsup. In case you were wondering, it wasn’t until the 1980s that the company started calling it ‘Tomato Ketchup’. Holding a bottle of the bright red catsup in a red glove-covered hand, it’s a ‘matching’ advert.
Singer
Santa was used to sell cigarettes and bath suds, so you’ll agree with us that there is no limit to what the famous pitchman endorses during the Christmas period. In 1962, Santa advertised sewing machines in the Family Circle newspaper.
The concept of the advert was simply heartwarming and unique. Santa Claus was shown reading kids’ letters when they asked for a new sewing machine for their mom. It won’t be wrong to call him ‘Singer Santa’.
Coca-Cola
Of course, Coca-Cola has used Santa Claus for many years, and the company still uses the jolly gift-giver for Christmas adverts. In National Geographic newspaper, Santa endorsed Coke in 1954.
We remember this advertisement more than others because of the red-faced Santa Claus. Santa was shown holding a bottle of Coke- the quote in the advert said it was Santa’s gift for thirst.
