Santa Claus, place branding and competition

Abstract

Santa Claus has been described as the world’s strongest brand. Although Santa Claus has been examined in the context of product and retail branding, the Santa mythology has been little discussed with respect to place branding. The article examines Santa Claus in relation to place branding and competition and provides a number of international examples where Santa is integrated into place branding strategies in order to construct regional advantage, particularly with respect to attracting tourists. Such strategies are regarded as extremely significant for peripheral areas which otherwise do not have the resources available for place branding that urban areas do. The paper concludes by noting potential future issues for Santa related place branding and Christmas tourism including the impact of climate change and issues of authenticity.