'TIS THE SEASON...

Christmas Marketing: Coca-Cola

Let's face it, everyone knows Coca-Cola has one of the most solid Christmas marketing strategies out there.

They have Santa and the oh-so adorable polar bears—who can beat that?

Santa Claus Success

Coca-Cola began Christmas advertising in the 1920s. At the time, most people thought of Coca-Cola only as a drink for warm weather. In 1922, Coca-Cola continued the campaign connecting their product to a true winter icon, Santa Claus and used the slogan "Thirst Knows No Season."

The Coca-Cola Santa, originally illustrated by Haddon Sundblon, gained instant popularity and was featured each season reflecting the times.

In 2001, the illustrated Santa was the basis for the animated TV commercials.

Polar Bear Popularity

The polar bears first appeared in Coca-Cola ads in 1993 as part of the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign. The commerical featured the polar bears watching the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) and drinking Coca-Cola. After that, the polar bears were featured in an in-store ad with Santa in 2006.

Source: The Coca-Cola Company

Network Like a Pro

It's the holidays, so no doubt there will be plenty of parties to attend.

Making connections is not just important for your social life, but for your career as well. No, you might not be best friends with them, but you could certainly meet them for coffee, bounce ideas off of them, or you might even be working with or for them one day.

Here are some networking tips to ensure you create or widen your professional network:

• Ask open-ended questions - You want to start a conversation, not just get a 'yes' or 'no' answer.
• Start off by offering your help, not asking for it - The goal of networking is to let people know how you can help them in any way, not how much you need their help.
• Be genuine - People want to network and connect with people who are genuine.
• Have your business card handy - This lets people know how to contact you. Along with your business card, let them know they can find you on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn.
• Always follow through - When you make connections with people, send a short follow-up email letting them know how it was nice to meet them (be specific on where you met) and that if they need anything to contact you.
• Touch base often - Make sure that you touch base with your contacts every few months - send them a link to something you think would interest them or ask how business is going. By doing so, you will stay in the forefront of their mind and the more likely they'll be to contact you when in need of your services or expertise.