Hey, It's about that time of year when we lament losing the "true meaning of Christmas." But as a certified contrarian, I wonder if any of us know the real origin of our festive traditions. Okay, most people know that Coca Cola changed the outfit of Santa Claus from his original green. But did you know that Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer might be the most enduring piece of content marketing of all time? Hold on to your red Santa hats! It Began With FerdinandWe must rewind a little to unwrap this particular present. All the way back to a Spanish bull, one who was not like the others - he preferred smelling flowers in the meadow, instead of fighting. The Story of Ferdinand was written by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson, and published in 1936 to great acclaim. Not only was it a bestselling children's book, Ferdinand also made it to the silver screen via Disney, won an Academy Award, and by 1938 it had become the bestselling book in America - even outselling a minor hit called Gone With The Wind. It was also somewhat controversial - certainly to the fascist governments of the era. Franco banned it, Hitler burned it, but Gandhi thought it was swell... just for some balance. Writers might be interested to know that it was loosely based on a true story. Marketers are probably more curious about the unprecedented tie-ins it generated, especially for the 1930s. Indeed, one particular department store executive was so excited by the commercial possibilities that he wanted a hit of his own. Rudolph, The Content MarketerRobert L. May had dreams of making a literary splash but spent his days grinding copy for department store catalogs. "Instead of writing the Great American Novel, I was describing men's white shirts," he told The Gettysburg Times. "It seemed I'd always been a loser." At the beginning of 1939, his boss at Montgomery Ward gave him a different kind of copywriting gig: he wanted a short children's book to give out free at Christmas, to encourage families to visit during the holidays. And he specifically wanted, "a main character like Ferdinand The Bull." May got to work that very evening. After pondering which animal might be a suitable vehicle for a Christmas story, he decided on a reindeer - given how much his daughter had loved them at the zoo. Growing with excitement, he also decided this reindeer should be an underdog, one whose dream was to pull Santa's sleigh, with his bright red nose shining through the fog. And he was just as excited the next morning, pitching his boss... who couldn't have been less enthused. May was sent back to the drawing board - and he took that in a literal sense, wandering over to the art department and pestering a college, Denver Gillen. They agreed to meet the following day at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo - at the same deer corral his daughter had been so enthralled with. May asked Gillen to draw a reindeer with a big red nose, thinking it could win the boss over. And it did. But as May was working away on the story, his wife fell ill with cancer, and then passed away. With the manuscript hopelessly bogged down by July, a Montgomery Ward suggested that May might benefit from some time at home with his daughter and offered to have someone else complete the project. That seemed to give May the impetus necessary to finish because he was done the following month. He called his daughter and her grandparents into the living room and read them the story of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. "In their eyes I could see that the story had accomplished what I hoped." Indeed, it would accomplish what Montgomery Ward hoped too. On the same day that Hitler invaded Poland - 1 September 1939 - a circular was sent to all the managers of Montgomery Ward stores across America, pushing the Rudolph promotion. Eight-hundred stores opted in, ordering a staggering 2.3m copies which were handed out to children in Christmas 1939. However, wartime rationing meant they couldn't go back to the printers to repeat the trick. Rudolph ReturnsPrinting restrictions were lifted in 1946 and a further 3.6m copies were given away to holiday shoppers. This renewal of interest in Rudolph really cemented his legacy - and May's financial future. As a thank you, Montgomery Ward agreed to release the copyright back to May after Christmas was over. No publisher wanted to touch it, though. With 6m free copies in circulation, they felt Rudolph's popularity had peaked, that the market was sated. A small publisher took a chance on it in time for Christmas 1947, and May sold over 100,000 hardback copies at 50c a pop and persuaded his brother-in-law to turn it into a song. One which would go on to be recorded by stars like Gene Autry, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby. By the end of the 1950s, Rudolph was a certified phenomenon - and a commercially lucrative one for May too. Over 100 Rudolph products had been licensed and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Enterprises had become so lucrative that May had quit that day job back at Montgomery Ward. Just before his death in 1976, May had this to say. "Today children all over the world read and hear about the little deer who started life as a loser, just as I did. But they learn that when he gave himself to others, his handicap become the very means through which he achieved happiness." Merry Christmas, Dave P. S. Music this week could only be one thing. |
Friday, December 22, 2023
Rudolph, the lucrative reindeer 🦌
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