Barbie Made News in 2022

During 2022, Barbie dolls made news. Usually, the international doll is not very newsworthy, but Mattel introduced five new Barbie dolls during 2022 to celebrate important women, their accomplishments, and their views.

But first, a little history about Barbie…

In 1945, Ruth and Elliot Handler started their company, Mattel, combining Elliot's name with the last name of their partner, Harold Matson. In 1956, the Handlers took their two teenage children, Barbara and Ken, on a trip to Europe, and during the trip, they saw a doll that looked like an adult woman. This doll was much different from the baby dolls that most little girls played with back in America.

Ruth was inspired, and three years later, Mattel’s version of the adult doll, which she named after her daughter, was unveiled and became a big success. The Barbie doll also had a wardrobe of outfits that could be purchased separately. In 1960, the Handlers took Mattel public, and Barbie quickly became an icon, with a wardrobe and career options that mirrored women’s changing goals.

Ruth Handler said in a 1977 interview with The New York Times, “Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future. If she was going to do role-playing of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17, it was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So, I gave the doll beautiful breasts. And Barbie kept pace with the times. During Camelot, she sported a Jacqueline Kennedy hairdo. During the 1970’s, her career choices and outfits begin to change to include a doctor, astronaut, and veterinarian, among others. My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, a girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”

Mattel has created numerous Barbie dolls as part of its Inspiring Women Series to honor both historic and contemporary heroines with the hope of inspiring “generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.” 

Here are the five that were introduced during 2022:

Ida B. Wells:
An educator, journalist, anti-lynching activist and NAACP Co-Founder. Her doll was accompanied by a historically significant accessory: a miniature replica of the Memphis Free Speech, the newspaper where she became editor and co-owner in 1889. (January 2022)

Queen Elizabeth II:
Dressed in royal attire, the doll celebrated the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee. John Lewis, the British retailer, sold out its supply in three seconds. The doll was just one of the lucrative memorabilia items created to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee – spanning everything from fine China to teddy bears, tea towels, fridge magnets, food tins, and more. (April 2002)

According to Kate Williams, a London-based history professor, “It’s incredibly important for children to see female leaders who have impacted history in their dolls, from Frida Kahlo to Amelia Earhart and now the Queen. It brings home the importance of women’s contributions to the world, the impact of women as leaders, creators, and pioneers, that women’s achievements are important and should be celebrated.”

Laverne Cox:
An actor, author, and LGBTQ rights advocate, and the first transgender person to have a Barbie designed after her. Launched on Cox’s 50th birthday, a Mattel spokesperson said the company was “proud to highlight the importance of inclusion and acceptance at every age with this doll.” (July 2022)

Gloria Estefan:
The doll celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the Grammy Award-winner’s chart-topping 1989 hit, “Get on Your Feet.” The doll marked the singer’s 65th birthday and was unveiled on the eve of National Hispanic Heritage Month. (August 2022)

Madam CJ Walker:
The first US self-made female millionaire, known for her entrepreneurial skills as she built her haircare and cosmetic brand from scratch. She was also known for her philanthropic and social justice efforts including her contributions to the NAACP anti-lynching movement. (August 2022)

To quote the BBC, “It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.”

These inspiring dolls from 2022 are not just toys, they teach. Who will Mattel introduce in 2023?

Image Credits: Mattel.

Leaders Don't Have to Be the Star of the Show!

 

Today, in honor of the final game day of the 2022 football season, I welcome Ron Oltmanns to my Blog for a Q&A discussion about leadership with a final question that relates to football. As a member of the Twitterverse for more than 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." Highlights of my conversation with Ron follow a brief introduction.

Ron Oltmanns is the founder of Leadskill, a consultancy specializing in developing leaders and teams for business impact. He has more than 25 years of experience in consulting and education with much of that time spent coaching and training business people. Based on his work in the corporate arena, small businesses, and startups in the United States and Asia, he has developed deep perspective on what makes people successful and what gets in their way. Leadskill has conducted workforce assessments, psychometric testing, and leadership development programs in multiple countries. Born in Venezuela, Ron grew up in the United States, and also lived in Asia for eight years. Now a Texan, he lives in Houston, with his wife Angela, and they have two grown sons.

QUESTION: You use your Twitter introductory space to say, "The best investment a leader can make is their self awareness and their team's emotional intelligence." Can you please elaborate?
RON OLTMANNS: Self awareness is a tricky thing. Most people would say they have it, and way more than half of the leaders that I talk to think they have above average self-awareness, which is impossible. How could 80-90% of leaders be above average?!

I have found that ALL leaders (myself included) could benefit from greater self-awareness. When leaders admit that they aren’t as self-aware as they’d like to be, but they’re working on it, something interesting occurs. I’ve noticed that it almost always results in their team's paying more attention to their own emotional intelligence. Greater emotional intelligence (EQ) pays a big dividend. People take better care of customers, and they work better together when they grow their EQ.

[Note: According to Wikipedia, Emotional intelligence is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions.]

QUESTION: You feature something called a FEELINGS WHEEL on your website. Can you please explain?
RON OLTMANNS: A key part of emotional intelligence is being aware of what you’re feeling. Research at UCLA several years ago proved that when you can name what you’re feeling, you’re much better able to manage your emotions.

Most of us have a pretty limited working vocabulary for what we’re feeling. A feelings wheel has an expanded set of feeling words arranged in a logical way so that you can find the right word to express what you’re feeling. Just doing that can increase your self-awareness, and when you are able to share specifically what you’re feeling with others, it creates a more empathetic and supportive environment at work. The feelings wheel is a great tool for making emotions more discussable.

[Readers can learn more at this link: https://leadskill.com/feelings-wheel/; and there are also several different versions of the wheel for beginners to advanced users in the online shop.]

QUESTION: On a post on your blog entitled "The Myths of Leadership," you wrote, "Leaders are only as strong as the people who follow them." Can you please share highlights from that inspiring post?

[Read the full post here: https://leadskill.com/myths-of-leadership]

RON OLTMANNS: As I grew in my career and interacted with more leaders, I found that the usual stereotypes of leaders that I carried in my head were just wrong. Myths, like leaders, are just born that way, or “leaders” are loud and powerful people are two misconceptions. I shared a couple more in that post.

We tend to think of leaders as powerful and charismatic people that can move a group of people. That’s sometimes true. But I’ve noticed it’s much more common to find leaders who are pretty ordinary people who are surrounded by bright and talented people.

When people are willing to follow or yield to a leader, that gives them power. When people become unwilling to follow or trust a leader, they lose their power. I encourage leaders to work hard to be worthy of the trust that people are placing in their hands.

SHARE THIS: When people are willing to follow or yield to a leader, that gives them power. ~@ronoltmanns #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: If you could have dinner with any three leaders from history or the current era, who would you choose, and why?
RON OLTMANNS: This is a fun question! Of course there are many I’d like to have dinner with, but here are three that come to mind.

[1] Socrates. He was famous for asking questions and guiding people to examine the flaws in their beliefs. According to his students, he was a great dinner guest and maybe he was the first real executive coach.

[2] Confucius. I got to live and work in China for several years, and they have the oldest living civilization on the planet. There are many myths about Confucius, and I’d like to really meet the man himself and see what he would say about China today as well as his views on modern society and how we could make it work better for everyone.

[3] Margaret Thatcher. Besides being the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, she had a great influence in the 1980’s when I was growing up. The UK was not the most powerful nation on earth, and I’d like to talk with her about how to lead with influence when you can’t command people and just flex your power.

QUESTION: One of my favorite leadership quotes is from author and consultant Mark Herbert (@NewParadigmer on Twitter): "Leadership doesn't require you to be the smartest person in the room. It requires you to block and tackle for others." What does this quote mean to you?
RON OLTMANNS: In American football, blocking and tackling are fundamental skills you have to learn and drill. Blocking is how you run plays, whether it's rushing or passing the ball. Tackling is fundamental defense; unless you tackle the guy with the ball, they’re going to score on you.

So, the quote says you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, meaning the leader doesn’t have to be the star of the show. If they block for others or tackle the opponent, they’re creating a team. Leaders realize that a good team can run circles around a lone superstar. Without blocking and tackling, you don’t have a functional team — just 11 individuals on the field. Leaders with a good functioning team will mow down individual stars every day.

SHARE THIS: The leader doesn’t have to be the star of the show. ~@ronoltmanns #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

My thanks to Ron for sharing his leadership insights and for appearing here on my Blog...who else is looking forward to the Super Bowl and the ads? Check back following the Super Bowl game for my annual review of the ads.


Image Credit: Barry Weatherall via Unsplash.

Connect with Ron at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronoltmanns
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ronoltmanns
Website: https://leadskill.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadskill_com

Marketing News of the Week: Prayers for Damar and GM

 

This week saw some interesting marketing news.

PRAYERS FOR DAMAR
After the nation watched Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin collapse on the field during the Monday Night Football game between Buffalo and Cincinnati, everyone held their breath. In an unprecedented sight, players on the field of both teams kneeled and prayed together. Minutes ticked by, followed by the appearance of an ambulance, and then the ambulance took Damar to a local hospital. Broadcasters were speechless. The NFL ultimately postponed the game, and fans in the stands and viewers at home knew that something terrible had happened. While sports fans awaited news over the next few days, all 32 NFL teams changed their Twitter profile pictures to Damar’s name and number. This show of support proved that “Sports is important. And suddenly it’s not,” according to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. In addition, the hashtag #PrayersforDamar trended on Twitter. How can the NFL go forward with its marketing following this event? Perhaps, there will be a very memorable ad during the Super Bowl - and if Damar recovers by then, perhaps, the ad will feature him.

GENERAL MOTORS (GM)
According to CNN, “One year after losing the title it held for nearly a century as the top car seller in America, General Motors is back on top.” GM reported US sales of 2.3 million vehicles, which was a lower number than in past years because production was impacted by a shortage of parts, primarily computer chips. How will this news impact GM's marketing during 2023?

What other marketing news stood out to you this week?

What will be the marketing buzz next week? Tune in to read all about it.

Image Credits: Buffalo Bills and General Motors.

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2022

 

Many marketing and news commentators have talked about books and films of the year, person of the year, color of the year, and notable deaths of the year. However, let's not forget memorable words and terms of 2022.

DICTIONARY.COM
Word of the year was WOMAN, "one of the oldest words in the English language; one that's fundamental not just to our vocabulary but to who we are as humans. And yet it's a word that continues to be a source of intense personal importance and societal debate. It's a word that's inseparable from the story of 2022." During the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in March 2022, she was asked, "Can you provide a definition for the word 'woman?'" She responded, "Not in this context - I'm not a biologist." In addition, women in Iran led massive demonstrations and became TIME Magazine's Heroes of the Year. And last but not least, the 1973 landmark decision Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June 2022.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER
Word of the year was GASLIGHTING, defined as "the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage."

OXFORD DICTIONARY
Term of the year was GOBLIN MODE, defined as "a type of behavior which is apologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."

GLASSDOOR
Term of the year was RETURN-TO-OFFICE. Since many employees preferred working from home or working in a hybrid capacity, employers continued to have conversations with employees about returning to their offices. Calls for employees to be back at their desks were met with pushback.

MOST SEARCHED TERM ON GOOGLE
In both the United States and globally, the most-searched term was WORDLE, a five-letter guessing game owned by The New York Times. According to Google, its annual Year in Search examined "the moments, people, and trends that sparked our collective curiosity on the search platform," noting that Wordle was the "top trending search globally, as guessing five-letter words every day became a way of life."

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
The WHO renamed monkeypox as MPOX because the disease's original name played into "racist and stigmatizing language." Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while monkeypox is phased out. According to NPR, "The one-year delay is necessary so that publications and records can be updated, and the delay should ease experts' concerns about potential confusion over renaming a disease that's currently causing an outbreak."

In addition, MERRIAM-WEBSTER added many new words this past year. Here are some that stood out:

*Pumpkin spice (thanks to Starbucks and competing coffee shops)
*Metaverse (thanks to Facebook, or Meta)
*Booster dose (thanks to the Covid pandemic)
*Video doorbell (thanks to home security systems)

And some terms were part of everyday conversations and news reports during 2022:

*Great Resignation: This term was coined by Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at University College London's School of Management, in May 2021. But the Great Resignation is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Quiet Quitting: an alternative to resigning. According to The New York Times, "It's a rejection of the idea that work has to take over your life and that you, as an employee, should be going above and beyond your role." While the term may be new, the behavior used to be called "presenteeism" and "lack of engagement." According to Marlene Chism, "It's a story about the unempowered employee and the giant corporation...The antidotes to quiet quitting is to face issues head on - to stop avoiding and start leading."

*Quiet Firing: when employers intentionally treat employees so badly that they will leave their job. Some examples include: being overlooked for meaningful tasks; lack of wage increases; decrease in communication/facetime with supervisors; workload at unmanageable levels; making work-life balance impossible to manage; and overall poor work environment.

As the famous writer Joseph Conrad wrote, "My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything."

What words and terms will define 2023? We'll have to wait and see.


Image Credit: Calimedia via Shutterstock.com.

Top Ten Marketing Highlights of 2022

With 2022 now history, it's time for my annual “Top 10” marketing highlights post – incredible that this is my 13th post featuring annual marketing highlights.

What do you remember from the 2022 marketing reel? What stood out as marketing innovation, and what will go down in history that was as memorable as Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl ad? Without further ado, let’s get to it!

With a nod and thank you to David Letterman for the format, here's my list:

NUMBER 10: Roe vs. Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States, was overturned by the United States Supreme Court. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual states to curtail or ban abortion rights. This will impact all sorts of promotions and future elections. (June 24, 2022)

NUMBER 9: Two amazing firsts by inspiring African-American women.

*First African-American woman became an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Ketanji Brown Jackson. (She was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Joe Biden on February 25, 2022; confirmed by the United States Senate on April 7, 2022; and sworn into office on June 30, 2022.)

*First African-American woman was elected Mayor of Los Angeles: Karen Bass. (Defeated Rick Caruso in November 8 election and inaugurated December 12, 2022.)

NUMBER 8: TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres ended her 19-year run of hosting a successful daily talk show. (Final episode aired on May 26, 2022.)

NUMBER 7: Major league baseball celebrated the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and breaking the color line in baseball. In recognition of this historic event, on “Jackie Robinson Day,” all players wore Jackie’s number “42” on their uniforms. (April 15, 2022)

NUMBER 6: The United States Mint unveiled its American Women Quarters Program, beginning in 2022 and continuing until 2025. The five quarters issued in 2022 featured: astronaut Sally Ride, poet and author Maya Angelou, Native American activist Wilma Mankiller, educator and suffragist Nina Otero-Warren, and Chinese-American movie star Anna May Wong.

NUMBER 5: In honor of International Women’s Day and the 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris, the theme park dressed Minnie Mouse in a pantsuit instead of her timeless red and white polka dot dress. Minnie wore a blue polka dot pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney, and in true marketing fashion, a limited-edition Minnie Mouse t-shirt was available online and at Stella’s stores. (March 2022)

NUMBER 4: Russia invaded Ukraine. While there does not seem to be a diplomatic or military end in sight, many brands stopped doing business in Russia, and some raised money for the Ukraine. North Carolina’s Mythic Brewing, Texas’ Palindrome Beer, Pittsburgh’s Bash Brew, and Spain’s Island Brew Mallorca used a “Make Peace Not War,” a customizable peace-sign label to raise funds for Ukraine relief efforts. Apple, Chanel, Prada, McDonalds, and Starbucks closed stores and restaurants in Russia. FedEx halted deliveries to Russia. ExxonMobil exited operations in Russia. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Levi Strauss & Co., Samsung, Netflix, and Tik-Tok suspended operations in Russia. Car companies including Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Ford, General Motors, and Volkswagen stopped shipping vehicles to Russia. Hollywood studios including Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Corp., and Universal Pictures halted or postponed the release of movies in Russia. (On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014.)

NUMBER 3: Social media platform Twitter began to unravel following Elon Musk’s purchase in October. Several haphazard decisions to change the platform were made as well as a majority of staff were fired or let go. As a result, many users migrated to other platforms, and one specifically, Mastodon, added millions of users in a short period of time. In addition, many brands stopped advertising on Twitter. (The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk began on April 14, 2022, and concluded on October 27, 2022.)

NUMBER 2: The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, who previously expressed his reluctance at amassing wealth, gave away his company to help fight climate change. He explained, “We’re making Earth our only shareholder.” The outdoor apparel company is now in the hands of a trust and a nonprofit organization, and all future profits will be donated to fight climate change. (September 2022)

And NUMBER 1 on my 2022 Marketing Highlights List:

Drum roll please...

NUMBER 1: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee during the summer of 2022, and then sadly, she passed away at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history, according to the BBC. This led to her eldest son Prince Charles becoming King Charles III, and his eldest son Prince William becoming the Prince of Wales. While all are predominantly ceremonial roles, the monarch still appears on all forms of postage and currency throughout the British Commonwealth which includes 54 countries around the world. So, consider the costs in changing from the likeness of the Queen to the likeness of the King – plus all the promotional items created as a result of the transition.

According to Charles Scarlett-Smith, Director of Brand Finance Canada, “When we’re thinking about Queen Elizabeth II’s brand, we really are being synonymous with the royal family and the monarchy. That brand alone ranks among the most valuable in the world. For a rough value comparison, putting the royal family’s impact up to a similar list of major corporate brands, the monarchy would rank fourth in the world, behind Google, Apple, and Amazon.”

And finally, to quote Camilla, the Queen Consort, “Queen Elizabeth II carved her own role as a solitary woman on a world stage dominated by men.”

What would you add to this list? Here's to 2023 and another year of marketing highlights. Happy New Year!


Image Credits: Ellen DeGeneres TV show, DisneylandParis, Walkers shortbread cookies, US Mint, and Major League Baseball.

What Are the Most Famous Brands on December 31st and January 1st?

When you think of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, what brands stand out? While there are many that come to mind, here are my three favorite brands for this celebratory evening and morning.

CITY OF NEW YORK
Every year on the final day of the year, everyone's attention is on the city known as "The Big Apple." New York City has hosted a memorable New Year's Eve party every year since 1907, with the exception of 1942 and 1943. Hundreds of thousands flock to Times Square to watch a truly brilliant event: the crystal ball drop as the final seconds of the year tick away toward midnight, ushering in a new year. 

According to the Times Square website: "Thanks to satellite technology, a worldwide audience estimated at over one billion people watch the ceremony each year. The lowering of the Ball has become the world's symbolic welcome to the New Year."

WATERFORD
The famous ball drop at New York City's Times Square is comprised of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles that vary in size. 

According to the Times Square website: "For Times Square 2022, 192 Waterford Crystal triangles introduce the new Gift of Wisdom design represented by a central wheel with wedge cut petals of knowledge growing ever forward. 192 are the Gift of Happiness design of a sunburst of bright cuts radiating outward like a beautiful sunny day brings warm smiles and happiness. 192 are the Gift of Goodwill design represented by three pineapples signifying the traditional symbol of hospitality and goodwill. 192 are the Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. 192 are the Gift of Serenity design of butterflies flying peacefully above a crystal meadow capturing the spirit of serenity. 192 are the Gift of Kindness design of a circle of rosettes symbolizing unity with the fronds reaching out in an expression of kindness. 192 are the Gift of Wonder design of a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder. 192 are the Gift of Fortitude design of diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage, and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity. The remaining 1,152 triangles are the Gift of Imagination design of a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other, inspiring our imagination."

For fun facts about the history of the Times Square Ball, check out this link: https://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-new-years-eve/nye-history-times-square-ball.

ROSE PARADE
Early in the morning on New Year's Day, the attention of the world shifts from the east coast to the west coast to a suburb north of Downtown Los Angeles due to a parade, but not just any parade. The annual Rose Parade is hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. 

According to Wikipedia, "First held on January 1, 1890, hundreds of thousands of spectators watch the Rose Parade in person, and millions more watch it on television - both in the United States and in more than 100 international territories and countries worldwide. The Rose Bowl college football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade."

Whichever brands stand out to you as you get ready to begin 2023, I wish you a happy and health New Year!


Image Credits: City of New York and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

What's Your Favorite Brand the Day After Christmas?

Today is December 26th. The packages have been opened. The wrapping and bows are all over the living room carpet. The holiday meal is cooking in the kitchen. So, what is your favorite brand today?

I'd like to send a shout-out of gratitude to the team at NORAD for the Santa tracker, found online, via mobile apps, and via telephone. More than 1,250 Canadian and American uniformed personnel and DOD civilians volunteer their time on December 24th to answer thousands of phone calls and emails that arrive from around the world.

You may be wondering, what exactly is NORAD? Here are important details from the official NORAD Santa Tracker website:

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization which defends the homeland through aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands…Headquartered in Colorado, NORAD's mission has evolved over the years to meet changing threats. Through outstanding bi-national cooperation, NORAD has proven itself effective in its roles of watching, warning, and responding. The men and women of NORAD are constantly watching the skies and waterways of the United States and Canada."

You may be wondering, how did the NORAD Santa Tracker start?

“The modern tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of the CONAD Operations Center (the predecessor of NORAD) upon seeing a newspaper ad telling kids to call Santa. The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, answered the phone and instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole.

Thus, a tradition was born, and every year since, NORAD has reported Santa’s location on December 24 to millions of children and families across the globe. Every Christmas Eve, thousands of volunteers staff telephones and computers to answer calls and emails from children around the world. Live updates are provided through the NORAD Tracks Santa Web site (in seven languages), over telephone lines, and by email to keep curious children and their families informed about Santa’s whereabouts and if it’s time to get to bed.

Each year, the NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site receives nearly nine million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Volunteers receive more than 12,000 emails and more than 70,000 calls to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline from children around the globe. In 2022, children and the young-at-heart tracked Santa through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and TroopTube.tv. NORAD Tracks Santa has become a magical and global phenomenon, delighting generations of families everywhere.”

The NORAD Tracks Santa program is funded through generous contributions that cover everything from computer servers, web site design, video imaging, Santa's tracking map, and telephone services.

What is the technology behind the NORAD Santa Tracker?

"It all starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system has 47 installations strung across Canada's North and Alaska. NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole every holiday season. The moment our radar tells us that Santa has lifted off, we begin to use the same satellites that we use in providing air warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America."

Satellites are located in a geo-synchronous orbit (that's a cool phrase meaning that the satellite is always fixed over the same spot on the Earth) at 22,300 miles above the Earth. The satellites have infrared sensors, meaning they can see heat. When a rocket or missile is launched, a tremendous amount of heat is produced – enough for the satellites to see them. Rudolph's nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. The satellites detect Rudolph's bright red nose with no problem.

The other system used is the NORAD jet fighter. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots, flying the CF-18, take off out of Newfoundland and welcome Santa to North America. Then at numerous locations in Canada, other CF-18 fighter pilots escort Santa. While in the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15s, F16s, or F-22s get the thrill of flying with Santa and the famous Reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph. Even though Santa flies faster than any jet fighter (Santa actually slows down for the Jets to escort him), all of these systems together provide NORAD with a very good continuous picture of his whereabouts."

Website, Phone Number, and More:
For more information about NORAD Tracks Santa, visit www.noradsanta.org – so you’ll be ready to track Santa’s journey next year. The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is fully operational beginning at 4 AM MST on December 24th. You can call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to talk directly to a NORAD staff member to relay Santa's exact location. Operators are available until midnight.

See you next year, Santa!

Image Credit: NORAD.