Newswise — Robert Miller, a member of the CMU business faculty and an authority on retailing trends, offers the following observations about Santa Claus and Christmas merchandising.
< "The commercial aspect of Santa Claus and Christmas first came together around 1841 when a Philadelphia merchant named J. W. Parkinson hired a man to dress in "Criscringle" clothing and climb the chimney outside his shop. It was a great success and, in 1846, the store was advertised as Kris Kringle's Headquarters."
< "It took 40 years before The Boston Store in Brockton, Mass., became the father of department Santas when it hired a tall, roly-poly man with a white beard and hearty laugh to be Santa Claus. Before the turn of the century, department stores across America had added Santa Claus and even sat him on a throne. Children sat on his knee and whispered their deepest secrets into his ears."
< "The Santa Claus image had been standardized before Coca-Cola adopted it for their advertisements. It was Coca-Cola's magazine advertisements, billboards, and point-of-sale store displays that cemented the image of Santa Claus into the public consciousness. Coca-Cola helped establish Santa as a ubiquitous Christmas figure at a time when the holiday was making the transition from religious observance to a largely secular and highly commercial celebration."
< "Every Christmas season the well-known character Santa Claus is featured in the annual Thanksgiving Day parade on his way to the local mall and department stores, reminding parents that the time to find the requested toy is limited. Santa exists in our culture because parents put such a huge effort (shopping, baking and decorating) into creating Christmas magic. The retailer must be sensitive to parental wants and concerns to make their marketing successful."
< "Santa stories are celebrated in Christmas specials, carols and community decorations, an effective selling tool for retailers to promote children's products. Rudolph was added by the Montgomery Ward department store in the late 1930s as the story line for a promotional coloring book given to the children of shoppers."
< "Children have a personal relationship with Santa. After all he's making a list and he knows if you've been naughty (stretching your Christmas stocking so it holds more) or nice (let someone else have the last piece). When kids are waiting in line to see Santa, the retailer can display the latest in toys and games. An option would be to visit online, but there would be no picture or chance to pull on his beard."
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