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Project Details
Project Details
Release: December 10, 2024
Client: The Coca-Cola Company
Service: 3D Digital Twin
Partners: Accenture · OpenAI · Microsoft · Leonardo.Ai · Universal Music Group
Categories: AI · 3D · DOOH · Character
From Archive to AI: Rebuilding Coca-Cola’s Sundblom Santa for Create Real Magic
For Coca-Cola’s 2024 holiday campaign, we reimagined one of the world’s most iconic characters for the age of AI.
We developed a high-fidelity 3D digital twin of the legendary Sundblom Santa - evolving a timeless illustration into a fully interactive, living presence. As part of the Create Real Magic 2024 global campaign, audiences could speak with Santa in real time and transform their own holiday memories into personalized, shareable snow globes.
This project represents a fundamental shift - from static brand heritage to dynamic, conversational experiences - where iconic characters no longer just exist, but actively engage.
Overview
Create Real Magic 2024 reimagined Coca-Cola’s holiday storytelling as a live, personalized AI experience. Rather than simply showing Santa in a film or static campaign asset, the project invited people to talk directly with him, share a cherished holiday memory, and receive a unique animated snow globe in return.
The ambition was not just to use AI for spectacle. It was to make one of the most recognizable figures in brand history feel warm, responsive, and emotionally relevant in the present. That required a version of Santa who could hold up both as a beloved archival character and as a believable digital presence across web, mobile, and large-scale public experiences.
Project Experience
At Mimic Productions, we were proud to collaborate with Coca‑Cola on their "Talk to Santa" holiday activation. Our team created a photoreal 3D digital twin of Haddon Sundblom's iconic Santa, ensuring every detail - from the twinkle in his eyes to the texture of his fur‑lined suit - translated flawlessly. This gave audiences worldwide a nostalgic yet lifelike encounter with a Christmas legend, from personal screens to one of the largest advertising canvases on Earth.
Beyond character creation, we supported the real‑time AI pipeline that allowed people everywhere to scan a QR code, speak with Santa, and see their own holiday memories transformed into bespoke virtual snow globes. Our asset packaging and technical handoff ensured smooth integration across devices and the giant DeepScreen® canvas at Piccadilly Lights - enabling live personalization at an unprecedented, global scale.
For us, this project was about blending craft and innovation - using the highest‑fidelity 3D techniques to bring heritage art into the age of AI. Watching audiences around the world stop in their tracks as Santa waved back and conjured their memories into magical snow globes was the ultimate reward. It showcased how immersive technology can spark joy and connection - from a smartphone in any market to the busiest public spaces in the world.
Mimic’s Contribution
3D Digital Twin - Sundblom Santa
High‑fidelity reconstruction faithful to Haddon Sundblom's original 1931 illustrations, optimized to perform everywhere - from giant DOOH screens to personal devices - with realistic light behavior at any scale.
Lookdev, Groom & Render
Photoreal skin, fur, and cloth shading with precision grooming; robust render settings engineered to hold detail under harsh outdoor luminance and across global delivery formats.
AI & Realtime Pipeline Support
Comprehensive asset packaging, data optimization, and seamless handoff designed to support real‑time AI conversation, image generation, and knowledge‑base development at worldwide scale.
Project Highlights
Credits
Client:
The Coca-Cola Company
Mimic Role
Creative Partner:
Accenture
Technology Partners
3D Digital Twin: Sundblom Santa
Character Lookdev & Groom
Photoreal Lighting & Render for DOOH
AI/Realtime Integration Support
OpenAI
Microsoft
Leonardo.Ai
Universal Music Group
Platform
N/A
We don’t make dreams come true. We make them real.
If we can bring a legend from the archives into the world of AI, we can certainly elevate your brand story. Let’s create the next iconic moment together.