My favourite photo of my daughter is from Christmas 2008. She was almost four and sitting on Santa’s lap with a grin that said more than words ever could. Within that grin, there was hope, excitement, joy, expectation and pure, simple innocence. After all, she was sitting with Santa, and the magic of the moment is all over her face.
I remember that moment every time I turn my head and look at that photo, and it makes me smile back. Santa creates those kinds of reactions, regardless of age. He’s magic wrapped in positive memories layered from childhood to parenthood. This is why Dashboard couldn’t turn down Santa when he asked if we’d help him with the Santa Claus Parade. He needed a new website as well as advertising to make sure that the girls and boys knew about the parade and when he was going to be in town. Santa didn’t want anyone… even the bad girls and boys, to miss out on the parade. Note: Santa truly believes everyone can turn a good corner by Christmas. And then, over milk and cookies, we cemented our intentions and outlined everything that he needed from us before getting to the task at hand.
The first place we began working was to review the long history of the parade and remembering meeting Santa for the first time ourselves. We realized quickly that the Santa Claus Parade isn’t just a parade; it is something much more for generations of children and families going back well over 100 years. I was fortunate to be a celebrity clown last year in the parade and I can tell you that I’ve never witnessed more people so happy at one time in my life.
During the parade, I remembered a little girl who, like my daughter, was also around four years of age asking me to come over to her. She had a problem. Her three friends hadn’t received a candy cane and she wanted to ask if I could give them one. I handed each of them a candy cane and when I reached towards the little girl who had requested me with a candy cane, she looked up and said “no thank you, I already was given one”. It was a beautiful and tender moment of the innocence of fairness and equality of children at Christmas. She simply wanted the other children to have what she had been given. I think it was in that moment that I remembered why I still believe in Santa Claus. He just brings out the good in people.
The Santa Claus Parade is a rich mosaic of memories that create a tapestry of unique, but shared experiences that bond Toronto together in a moment of joy and happiness like no other event in the region can. Some call this an insight that leads to a strategy. I think it is simpler than that. I believe that what is in your heart of hearts is often something that will touch the hearts of those around you. In this, great ideas are born. You will discover shortly how this beginning transformed our task into a beautiful, yet simple, campaign.
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