08 December 2009
Christmas will never be the same again
It’s December, which can only mean one thing, preparations are underway at the North Pole as Santa Limited swings into action once again. Checking lists, checking them twice, making toys, painting toys, wrapping toys and delivering toys - every year is the same, stretching on forever. But is it?
As Santa, his dear wife Mrs Claus, the reindeer, elves, fairies and snowmen wipe away the crust of a summer's sleep from their eyes, little are they aware that they are waking to a brand new age of best value and competitive tendering.
After more than 250 years of managing the contract for the delivery of presents the economic downturn has one final surprise up its ever shortening sleeve.
At some point over the long, but not so hot, summer months, the children of the world convened at Wetherby Services to discuss putting the contract for delivering the world's Christmas presents out to tender.
Last year they said an online Christmas pantomime performed through the medium of intranet would never work. We had thousands of visitors to Santa Limited who disagreed and the judges at the Chartered Institute of PR's North East Awards felt so strongly that they gave Tinsel Times a Gold Award.
This year the team face the pitch of their lives. For your inside track on what's going on, log onto www.santalimited.com. Just like last year, there will be daily news direct from the workshop right up until Christmas Eve and a flurry of chaotic yet strangely addictive posts from the Santa Ltd team. So get your skates on and join in the yuletide fun.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at Gardiner Richardson.