I never get tired of discovering the origins of things—especially the well-established and iconic things we take for granted every day. Case in point: Santa Claus. The mere mention of his name conjures up an image of an elderly, portly man with red cheeks, twinkling eyes and a snow white beard. But where did this image come from? According to this story on the Branding Strategy Insider blog, the image of Santa that has been burned into our collective American psyche is none other than the visage of Lou Prentice, a retired salesman from New Jersey. And the power behind this massive marketing move? None other than the Coca-Cola Company. Being the thorough, detail-oriented fanatic I am, I decided to dig a bit deeper. Apparently, the original image of a plump and jolly Santa was conjured up by Thomas Nast in 1863. 

But no matter what your image of Santa is based on, or even if you don’t believe he ever existed (lump of coal for you, friend), have a wonderful holiday season and a happy 2009! Oh, and if you need a strong partner for your own massive marketing move, you can’t beat QuantumDigital!