Strong brands evolve and change as trends and consumers change. Since Rudolph had recently gone through a rebranding effort, and with the holidays fast approaching, Mrs. Claus and the elves decided it was time to follow suit and give the Santa brand a bit of a refresh.
Where to turn? VOLLMER’s positioning and branding experts, of course!
So, we took the Polar Express and secretly headed to the North Pole to meet with the big man himself for a branding workshop in Santa’s private conference room. Flip charts and ideas were flying. And while we can’t tell all (we don’t want the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to know all our secrets), the VOLLMER group’s SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis quickly pointed out that Santa has been violating some key branding guidelines:
· Be consistent. The client goes by Santa, Santa Claus and Old Saint Nick, just to name a few. It would be helpful if the jolly guy would pick one name and stick to it. Also, there are too many shades of red being used in his logo. The elves need to put out a graphic standards manual right away.
· Define your brand personality. What does Santa stand for these days? Is he big, sweet, round and jolly? Or, is he hip, cool and connected and wants to be Paris Hilton’s new BFF or the next Dancing with the Stars contestant? Should he play up his speed and amazing ability to make reindeer fly? Whichever it is, Santa needs to pick a lane.
· Deliver on your brand promise. Over the years kids have come to expect great things from Santa and it’s hard to live up to all of the hype. Our research shows that he’s been a little late making his rounds to deliver goodies. We think he could improve his delivery times by investing in a few more reindeer. Also, he needs a Blackberry to help him maintain his list of who has been naughty or nice.
After a lunch break VOLLMER shifted gears and brainstormed suggestions for updating Santa’s image. Some of the Vollmervillians’ suggestions included:
· Lindsay Stout, VOLLMER Dallas To keep up with the times, Santa should be accepting e-mails, Facebook messages and Tweets from Twitter to track wish list requests. He also needs a branded email such as - ivebeengoodthisyear@claus.com
· Lori Martin, VOLLMER Houston Santa really needs to consider promoting a healthy lifestyle. He needs to get in shape and set a good example for children.
· Kim Tillinghast, VOLLMER Austin Everyone who is anyone has a New York Times best-selling memoir. Santa should let the world know the real story behind the beard, and - naturally - work with his publicist to ensure a spot on Oprah's Book Club list.
· Nicole Buckley, VOLLMER New York City There's a lot to be said for a man who has been around technically since the 4th century and who remains a household name to this day regardless of religious/cultural beliefs. And it's nice that we have at least one "person/mythical figure" who will always reward good behavior and remind us that common courtesy to others is never lost. However, there are some instances where Santa is in need of an update. Because Santa's main audience is children still, I think that's where the re-branding focus should remain. Children are becoming more tech savvy at a younger age than ever before. So, let's create a space on the computer where young children (with the aid of parents) can go online, upload their Christmas list and letter to Santa. That way Santa has less wait time for the list which will then increase toy production in a more timely fashion. Another way to stay connected with the children is to attach a GPS to the sleigh so children all around the world know where he is and how much time they have before he arrives at their house.
· Dayna Steele, VOLLOCITY Editor I can’t say it enough. Black is the new red.
· Alyson Gomez VOLLMER Dallas What if he enlisted a posse of multicultural Santas to help him out? Jewish Santa, Kwanza Santa, etc. This could be interesting because it would mean that his brand would be spread out throughout the year instead of just around the Christmas season. And he really should consider a blog for the elves.
· Tony Shelton, Shelton & Caudle Training & Crisis Counsel Given the state of the economy, Santa could benefit from having a crisis communication plan tucked away in his sleigh. Anything that affects Santa will be news. Not only is he a celebrity, but he’s seasonal and that’s always an attractive news peg. Were Santa’s reindeer to fall through a “blue tarp” damaged roof, for example, Anderson Cooper likely would fly in for on-the-scene coverage. To save his reputation, Santa would need to act quickly. Issuing a statement reinforcing his commitment to serving children around the world and demonstrating action through flying in reserve reindeer and expressing concern for the wellbeing of those reindeer who may have been injured would be essential. Through such quick action, Santa surely would be able to, not just protect his reputation for compassion and on-time delivery, but actually enhance the Santa brand. Godspeed, Jolly Old Saint Nick!
· Mauren M. Kunz, VOLLMER Houston In this day and age of being environmentally conscious, perhaps you should consider showing your “greener” side as part of your new rebranding campaign. You’ve been doing your part to be green for years by using pollutant free animals for your means of travel, where all byproducts are naturally recycled by the environment. I don’t know a single person in the entire world that can say they’ve traveled the globe without using any kind of pollutant – you’re unique, so make a big deal of it!
· Karen Marino, VOLLMER Dallas Santa should consider taking advantage of new technologies such as the Internet and Google maps for satellite images and real time tracking data.
· Peggy Hubble, VOLLMER Austin Tell your story! Have we forgotten the meaning of Santa and the holidays in the hustle and bustle of it all? Children (and the media) love stories of old. The customs and traditions of Christmas are rich in history, myth and culture. Get that story out there for children of all ages. Father Christmas is based on a real person - Nicholas was a Christian leader in the 4th century AD. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.
· Helen Vollmer, VOLLMER Houston Why not look at new target market groups? Maybe the kiddos have had too much attention for too long from Santa. What about all of us grown-ups who could use a different kind of holiday greenery in this economic downturn? Santa, look to those who can help your brand grow the most!
Finally, after much deliberation a consensus was reached. Santa may need a few tweaks, but his overall brand remains strong as long as he stops giving out lumps of coal. So, while you may note a few changes this year in Santa’s image and his channels of distribution, branding done well takes time. You better watch out though, ‘cause VOLLMER is keeping our total Santa rebrand under wraps until 2009!
Ho, Ho, Ho . . . Happy Holidays to all (by the way, we’ve already gotten a call from the Seven Dwarves after they heard about our working with Santa)!
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