<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Coca - Cola's advertising has significantly affected American culture, and it is frequently credited with inventing the modern image of Santa Claus as an old man in a red - and - white suit . Although the company did start using the red - and - white Santa image in the 1930s, with its winter advertising campaigns illustrated by Haddon Sundblom, the motif was already common . Coca - Cola was not even the first soft drink company to use the modern image of Santa Claus in its advertising: White Rock Beverages used Santa in advertisements for its ginger ale in 1923, after first using him to sell mineral water in 1915 . Before Santa Claus, Coca - Cola relied on images of smartly dressed young women to sell its beverages . Coca - Cola's first such advertisement appeared in 1895, featuring the young Bostonian actress Hilda Clark as its spokeswoman . </P> <P> 1941 saw the first use of the nickname "Coke" as an official trademark for the product, with a series of advertisements informing consumers that "Coke means Coca - Cola". In 1971, a song from a Coca - Cola commercial called "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", produced by Billy Davis, became a hit single . </P> <P> Coke's advertising is pervasive, as one of Woodruff's stated goals was to ensure that everyone on Earth drank Coca - Cola as their preferred beverage . This is especially true in southern areas of the United States, such as Atlanta, where Coke was born . </P>

When did coca cola start being called coke