Coca-COla | The Black Santa

The brand that invented Santa Claus reimagined who Santa Claus could be.

The context

Brazil was in the middle of a long-overdue cultural reckoning around race and inequality. At the same time, audiences had stopped trusting the performative gestures of large corporations. The bigger the brand, the higher the skepticism.

The Challenge

Coca-Cola didn't just advertise Christmas. It helped shape the visual mythology of Santa Claus as the world knows him today. But repeating the same image, the same story, the same face, year after year, in a country where more than half the population is black, had become a quiet contradiction. The challenge was to earn the right to be part of a conversation that traditional advertising had no credibility to enter.

The Solution

Person standing in front of a screen displaying text 'Juntos a magia acontece' with 'avant première' logo. The room has red lighting, two red chairs, and potted plants.

Instead of a campaign, we built a story. Written by Cleissa Regina Martins, a black writer with roots in black culture narratives, told in the soap opera format Brazilians love, produced in partnership with TV Globo.

A grandfather rejected for the role of Santa Claus because of his skin color, who finds his place in the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tours.
The brand didn't lecture. It narrated.

Child with Santa Claus holding a gift in a festive setting.
A series of holiday-themed images: an elderly person with Christmas lights, a girl near a decorated tree, an elderly person holding a stocking, a child writing a letter, and an elderly person in a Santa hat.
Social media post by Coca-Cola featuring a Santa Claus with glasses and a diverse portrayal, alongside user comments reacting to the post.

The story didn't stay on screen. Black Santas were invited to lead the traditional Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tours across the country, bringing the narrative to life in cities, streets, and communities, and turning a broadcast moment into a lived experience.

Aerial view of a lit-up parade on a city street at night, featuring illuminated trucks and cars, with decorated buildings and crowds lining the sidewalk.
Series of images showing a Christmas parade with illuminated trucks, people celebrating, and Santa Claus interacting with the crowd at night.

The Results

A 66% increase in ratings with 15 million viewers on TV.
#1 Trending Topic on social with 5 million digital impressions.
The transformation proved to be a powerful cultural moment.

A project made in partnership with Globo.
Created with Ricardo Weitsman, Bruno Mukai, Alexandre “Xela” Oliveira, Gabriel Gil, Felipe Gomes, André Marques and Hugo Rodrigues.