Yellow Santa: How to Create Powerful Brand Experiences
20th December 2024
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What happens when you take a timeless Christmas legend, give it a bold modern twist, and turn it into an unforgettable experience? This Christmas, we did exactly that! With a Yellow Santa, lots of gold chocolate coins, and magical wish-granting moments that delighted families across the UK, from Birmingham, Manchester to London – it was extraordinary. It wasn’t just Christmas cheer we were spreading; it was the power of a Brand Experience brought to life.
This Christmas season, our client, Western Union wanted us to craft a one-of-a-kind Brand Experience for communities across the UK. At the heart of the experience was Yellow Santa, a reimagined version of the classic festive figure who captured hearts by spreading joy, giving out golden chocolate coins, and granting children’s Christmas wishes. We also had the unique opportunity to gather insights into how people from different parts of the world celebrate Christmas. This added a rich, multicultural layer to the activation, reminding us that the Christmas spirit transcends cultures, borders, and traditions.
This entire experience was more than just another Christmas celebration, it was a Brand Experience designed to build meaningful connections between families across the world and encourage people to send money to their loved ones. After all, who wouldn’t want to receive some golden coins from the beloved St. Nicholas? But this time, the chocolate coins symbolised the care and love sent by a friend or family member with the Yellow Santa costume signifying the Western Union brand colour. By blending timeless Storytelling with modern Brand Experiences, we created a campaign that left lasting impressions, sparked conversation, and authentically elevated the brand.
The story that inspired Yellow Santa
Bringing Yellow Santa to life
How the activation created a memorable brand experience
Lessons for brands
The Story That Inspired Yellow Santa
The inspiration for our Yellow Santa campaign came from the legend of St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for his wealth and generosity. According to legend, St. Nicholas learned of a poor father who couldn’t afford dowries for his three daughters, leaving them vulnerable to a life of hardship. Secretly, St. Nicholas dropped bags of gold coins through the family’s window, with one of the coins landing in a stocking drying by the fire. This act of kindness saved the daughters and became the foundation for the tradition of gift-giving during Christmas.
Our activation brought this timeless tale to life with a twist. Instead of the traditional red Santa, our Santa dressed in a bright and bold Yellow Santa outfit symbolising Western Union’s iconic brand colour. This distinctive look drew attention while connecting to Western Union’s branding.
Bringing Yellow Santa Experience to Life
Over several weeks, we transformed shopping centres such as the Bullring & Grand Central at Birmingham, Trafford Centre in Manchester, and Westfield Centre at Stratford into vibrant centres of Christmas cheer and Brand Experience. At the heart of these activations was Yellow Santa, a warm and approachable figure who embodied Western Union’s commitment to giving back. But this activation wasn’t just about spreading festive joy, it was a carefully crafted Brand Experience that engaged customers on multiple levels, designed to connect them with the brand in meaningful and lasting ways.
Here’s how we created this experience:
Transforming the Space: The shopping centres across were transformed into festive hubs, featuring Christmas decor inspired by the campaign’s unique yellow theme.
Introducing Yellow Santa: We had our highlight of the experience which was the Yellow Santa where he was interacting with families, sharing cheerful moments, and handing out golden chocolate coins to children and guests at the hubs.
Gathering Wish Lists: Children were invited to write their holiday wish lists, which were collected, and a lucky wish was granted each week.
Granting Wishes: Selected wishes were fulfilled, creating magical, real-life moments of joy and reinforcing the campaign’s focus on generosity and giving back.
Sharing Holiday Traditions: Dedicated spaces were created where visitors could share their own Christmas traditions and stories, allowing us to gather valuable insights into how diverse cultures celebrate Christmas.
Interactions and Social Sharing: To encourage social sharing and create memorable moments, our Brand Ambassadors took pictures of guests using Polaroid cameras, which were then placed in custom-made Western Union Polaroid holders for visitors to keep.
We leveraged the four key dimensions of the customer Brand Experience to create a truly immersive experience:
1. Sensory: Every detail, from the golden chocolate coins to the warm, festive decor, was designed to captivate the senses. The warm smiles and ambiance created by our Brand Ambassadors, the visual appeal of Yellow Santa’s bright outfit, and the soothing sounds of Christmas music all created an instantly inviting environment.
2. Affective: Yellow Santa’s warm and approachable nature forged emotional connections. Families and children felt joy, excitement, and surprise as they interacted with Santa, wrote their wish lists, and saw their wishes come to life. This emotional engagement created powerful memories that extended beyond the experience.
3. Intellectual: People were encouraged to reflect on how they celebrate Christmas in their culture and what they will be doing for this upcoming Christmas season. The Story of St. Nicholas, along with the opportunity to share their own Christmas traditions, prompted the customers to think about the power of connection in both a global and personal context.
4. Behavioural: The activation also led to action where the consumers actively engaged with the experience, whether writing wish lists, sharing their stories, or even sharing photos on social media. These behaviours reinforced their positive associations with the brand and spread its message to a wider audience, generating buzz beyond the immediate event.
How the Activation Created a Memorable Brand Experience
At each shopping centre, we had cards where guests could write how they celebrate Christmas in their culture. “Filipinos celebrate early September with roast pig” shared one of our customers when asked about their holiday celebrations. Another added, “As a Roman Catholic, we go to Mass on Christmas day and then go to our parent’s house to celebrate”. These gave insights that go beyond just understanding how Christmas is celebrated but also show our expertise in crafting strategic ways brands can connect with their consumers.
1. Aligning Brand Values with Storytelling: Western Union’s goal of helping consumers send money across the world aligned perfectly with the legend of St. Nicholas. By weaving this story into the activation, we created an authentic connection between the brand and the Christmas season. Yellow Santa wasn’t just a character; he symbolised what the brand stands for.
2. Building Emotional Connections: People don’t remember ads—they remember how brands make them feel. The smiles on children’s faces, the joy of receiving the golden chocolate coins, and the surprise of having a wish granted created moments that families will cherish for years. These emotional connections translate into positive brand perceptions and long-term loyalty.
3. Creating Shareable Moments: For the experience, we ensured we created highly shareable moments and made the whole set-up very photogenic. With photobooths, a Yellow Santa seat, and Western Union props, this made the ambiance very attractive, with children eagerly posing with their golden chocolate coins and wish lists. Parents shared these moments online, amplifying the campaign’s reach far beyond the shopping centres where it took place.
4. Delivering Real Impact: What set this activation apart was its tangible impact. The audience was encouraged to download the Western Union app and create an account, when this was done, they had the option to have their young one send a wish to Santa and each week, a wish was granted. For most children, their wish was to own a Lego, a doll, a toy car, a unicorn, or lots of chocolate, etc While some just want their family to be happy for Christmas. Granting these wishes brought the brand’s message of sending money across borders to life in a powerful way. With a child receiving their Yellow Santa’s wish for a Dollhouse or the toy car, Unicorn, chocolates, etc, and the happiness of the parent who received the surprise call – these moments demonstrated the Western Union’s commitment to making a difference and our expertise in creating impactful brand experiences.
Lessons for Brands: The Power of Experience
The success of the Yellow Santa activation highlights the growing importance of Brand Experiences in today’s marketing landscape. Here are some of our key takeaways for brands looking to create impactful campaigns:
1. Go Beyond the Transaction: Research has shown that 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them – and that’s what we did. Consumers crave more than products or services; they want meaningful brand interactions. A well-executed Brand Experience creates a sense of connection and loyalty that digital marketing can’t match.
2. Leverage Storytelling: Stories have the power to captivate and inspire. By weaving the activation to the legend of St. Nicholas, we created a narrative that resonated with people on a deep level. Finding the right story for your brand can make all the difference.
3. Be Generous: Generosity isn’t just good for the soul; it’s good for business. Brands that give back, whether through acts of kindness or memorable experiences, build trust and goodwill with long-lasting experiences of the brand.
4. Embrace the Unexpected: The choice to reimagine Santa as Yellow Santa was a bold move that paid off. Standing out in a crowded market often requires thinking outside the box, taking creative risks, and, most importantly, working with the right marketing partner.
As an agency, we focus on creating transformative Brand Experiences, and the Yellow Santa activation serves as a shining example of what’s possible. In an era where traditional advertising often fades into the background, immersive and meaningful Brand Experiences have the power to capture attention and forge lasting connections.
For brands, this activation demonstrates the value of going beyond transactional relationships. It’s not just about what you sell but how you make people feel. By creating experiences that inspire, delight, and leave an impact, brands can build loyalty and trust in ways that digital marketing simply can’t match.
If you’re a brand looking to create memorable experiences that resonate with your audience, we’d love to work with you. Whether it’s reimagining Christmas traditions, as we did with Yellow Santa, or crafting entirely new campaigns, our goal is to help brands connect with people in meaningful ways.
This Christmas season, we proved that a story as old as St. Nicholas can still create magic in the modern world. So, what experience will your brand create next? Let’s work together to bring it to life.