Does Santa have a personal brand?

If you were passing out of Union Station in Toronto yesterday, like me, then you would think that Santa was at least a little more creative than you thought as a young child.

One thing you can be sure of in probably every major city is that there will be people begging on the streets.

You see all the people rushing to work, their eyes firmly fixed on the neck of the person in front of them, they have become immune to the call for 'spare me some change?' Once in a while you might see someone stop and drop some money in a cup – but for most what would make them stop – short of the person jumping up and stopping them?

Enter 'Santa' at Union Station yesterday.

This person had a real white beard and was dressed in a red elf hat, red top and pants with collection box and a sign.

"Sleigh Broken Down – Please Help!"

He had money almost pouring in to his box – not because he had a broken sleigh of course, but because he had taken the time to understand his target audience- what their pain was, what was the same about him and all the others calling for change and what he could do to stand out and be different.

Many commuters had to get up earlier than they wanted, sit on a crowded train and now go to the same desk in the same cubicle with the same people – they craved variety or just a little smile.

He brought that to them – it was worth it!