Currently there’s a rising discussion about branded content, especially on YouTube, in Germany. Marketeers are constantly facing the same question:

“How clearly do we have to mark a content piece as advertising, when this one is showing a brand or a product?”

This has been an on going question for the “öffentlich-rechtliche” (the German state run public TV channels) for years. But lately this has also become a relevant topic for marketeers on YouTube. Some believe that this questioning is related to the “öffentlich-rechtliche” TV channels, losing more and more market shares to private online content, especially with young target groups.

Luckily this fact was not limiting our Return to Santa campaign.

Who would have thought that even an empty bottle can open happiness?

Return to Santa turned an old Christmas tradition into a new experience – for young and old. Making the product itself become the response element that saved costs and ultimately proved once more that Coca-Cola is an indispensible part of celebrating Christmas.

RETURN TO SANTA was a big success in Germany. Within one month the promotion led to a significant rise in sales of Coca-Cola bottles. 104,285 participants sent in their wishes for friends, families and strangers. The most heart-warming ones were fulfilled right in time and were documented by camera to spread happiness all across Germany.