Reinventing a two-millennium-old icon can be a difficult task, if not impossible. That’s mainly because people have already made an image of one of the world’s most popular character, Santa Claus. The first thing that pops into our minds when we think of Santa is that he’s quite an old guy, a bit fat, dressed in red from head to toe, and drives a sleigh. But what if the Father Christmas adopted a different look, let’s say a more hipster-like one and his sleigh would be nothing else than a luxurious sports car? Would you still love him as much as you do now?

Well, you can think about your answer while we start introducing the new Santa Claus, who got completely reimagined by car manufacturer Audi. This “New Santa”, which Audi helped define alongside agency M/H VCCP and Australian director Craig Gillespie, is a modern ‘bloke’ who is slightly more determined than the bearded character that we are so familiar with and ready to make a positive change in his life, so that the upcoming season sees a better version of him. So, kids, please, keep your cookies and milk for yourself, because Santa is now on a strict diet.

Aside from giving up on his delicious treats, Santa also changes up on his regular routine. He starts jogging, he goes to the gym and gets trained by one of his elves, and he even starts paying a lot more attention to what he eats. He’s spotted losing weight pretty quick and so, he needs new clothes. So, after getting in such a good shape, our rejuvenated old-timer gets ready for one last change: a new hairstyle, one that’s more suitable for the all-new Santa.

Christmas day is here, and our popular man is ready to make his big entrance (one that is worthy of Great Gatsby, but that’s only our opinion!). Surrounded by his magical family, Father Christmas is rewarded for his hard work with a wonderful gift, courtesy of the elves, Mrs. Santa, and Audi.

It’s time for Santa to be the one who’s getting pampered this festive season, right? Merry Christmas, to yourself!

If you’re expecting for Santa this year, don’t look for an over-weight guy driving a sleigh. You might get disappointed. Who you should look for instead is a cool man, dressed in red velvet, with an amazing hairstyle, who sits behind the wheel of an Audi RS 5 Sportback 2019, the latest model of the highly-successful Audi Sports family. Just like Santa, the car will make its appearance on the US’s red carpet at the end of 2018 and aims to amaze car fans with its balance of high design, functionality, and track-worthy driving dynamics.

Santa, this car gets to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds. How long will it take to surprise us, the editorial team of branding.news, with cool gifts?

Credits:

Client: Audi

Agency: M/H VCCP

Joel Kaplan – Executive Creative Director

Mike Gallagher – Senior Copywriter

Nicole Van Dawark – Senior Producer

Lexi Alaga – Associate Producer

Julie Petruzo – Director of Business Affairs

Arthi Veeraragavan – Director of Analytics

Jessica Bedussi – Senior Social Strategist

Jessica Gaylord – Community Manager

Henry Fernandez – Account Director

Margaret Furth – Account Director

Mikaela Kearns – Account Supervisor

Emily Menken – Account Manager

Production Company

MJZ

Director: Craig Gillespie

President: David Zander

Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson

Line Producer: Debbie Tietjen

International Production Services

Bohemian Pictures

Producer: Sherry Baumgart

Production Manager: Daniela Buzgova

Production Coordinator: Lucie Vaskova

VFX

Eightvfx

Executive Producer: Shira Boardman

VFX Supervisor: Marc Demmer