One of the greatest (and most profitable) narratives ever created is the billion-dollar tradition that was built on a single belief.
The true origins of Christmas are almost forgotten in the spending frenzy of a holiday we know it to be today. Sure, it’s about the birth of Christ and the annual religious mass held to celebrate it (hence, Christ-mass), but one particular aspect of that nativity scene has been exploited on a massive scale by marketers.
When Christ was born, three wise men came bearing gifts. That simple act became a fundamental belief in Christianity and inspired the tradition of modest gift-giving. By modest, we mean simple foodstuffs, like nuts, fruit and the like. It was more about the act of giving than the gifts themselves. It wasn’t until Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol that the “spirit” of Christmas, along with the tradition of giving and sharing really hit its straps. The rest, as they say, was history.
Businesses and advertisers saw the opportunity in this widespread practice of giving gifts to turn those gifts into something more valuable and more profitable. The skinny man that was the cheer-spreading “Old Father Christmas” became the jolly fat bloke in red with the magic powers. Yes, Christmas has become incredibly commercialised and much of the tradition we experience today comes as a result of advertising. Did you really think it was a coincidence that Santa’s suit was the same shade of red and white as the Coca-Cola logo?
From a marketing perspective, the Christmas narrative has been cleverly shaped over time. It begins with something people already accepted (as something that actually happened or something from an existing story) – the birth of Christ and the gift-bearing wise men. It then adds to and embellishes that “truth”. If people accept the basic principle, they are very likely to accept the same basic principle with a bit of extra sauce. Eventually, the accepted truth might be far from the original truth but it has been a journey of accepted steps so it remains as valid as the original. A lot of advertising fails to deliver because it asks people to jump too far. The difference between “fill-the-space” messages and well-crafted messages based on neuroscience, psychology, and human behaviour is the difference between hitting sixes and being bowled for a duck (apologies for the cricket reference).
Is commercialisation such a bad thing? If you are particularly religious, you probably lament society losing the true meaning of Christmas but celebrate the spirit just the same. If you are a business owner, especially a retailer, you probably appreciate the fact that one aspect of that true meaning has been built into a cornerstone of revenue every year. If you fall into the broad category of “neither of the above” you probably just appreciate having that special time of year when friends and family down tools for a while, get together, exchange gifts, eat and drink too much, and then sit around with swollen bellies and hangovers, waiting for the Boxing Day test match to start.
Whether you’re a Christian or not, a festive season means everyone’s a winner, right?