Holidays aren’t coming
Coca-Cola has confirmed that they have cancelled their annual Christmas truck tour for 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
For the last nine years, Coca-Cola has recreated their iconic ‘Holidays Are Coming’ TV advert by touring one of the trucks from the commercial around major UK cities.
“In light of restrictions around the country, unfortunately our annual Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will not go ahead this year,” the company said in a statement.
“We know this will be disappointing news for lots of people, for whom the Truck Tour marks a fun, festive moment to get together over the Christmas period.
“Throughout the pandemic, our main priority has been to support our people, our partners and communities. That’s why, when lockdown began, we decided to pause all our marketing globally and focus our resources towards relief efforts around the world.”
The tour normally lets visitors take a photo with the truck, get a Coke, and generally feel festive. It normally runs from mid-November to mid-December.
Following increased scrutiny of sugary drinks, the 2019 tour started giving out Coca-Cola Zero Sugar instead of regular Coke. Other versions were still available on request, though.
The truck tour is of course inspired by the classic TV commercial, where a convoy of Christmas trucks roll into town, soundtracked by the eternal earworm, ‘Holidays Are Coming’.
The first version of the advert, entitled ‘Christmas Caravan’, started airing in 1995. It was created by ad agency W.B. Doner, and the illuminated lorries were enhanced with special effects by Industrial Light and Magic, the company behind the Star Wars films.
The trucks are decorated with images of Santa Claus by artist Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom’s famous paintings of Santa for Coca-Cola are often credited with inspiring how we imagine the character today.
In 2007, Coke started airing the advert in the UK again, after receiving scores of calls from customers asking for its return.
