Study leads to new ban on Christmas
sustainability
A recent study by the Institute of Health Sciences, which linked Christmas with a dangerous trend in binge eating and highlighted its role in the obesity epidemic, has resulted in a raft of new legislation which, once passed, will effectively result in a blanket ban on the advertising of Christmas. There have been a variety of angry responses to this legislation, with trading associations claiming it interferes with the free market and the Christian lobby labeling it "a brazen attack on Christmas by the communists".
However, the person lauded to be most-affected by these changes is the Russian manufacturing and marketing magnate, Stanimir Nikolai. Mr Nikolai recently lost a lucrative sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, a decades-old relationship which helped develop Mr Nikolai's brand and establish the global image of his empire while also subconsciously linking the drinks company with a festive season traditionally associated with good wine. The collapse of this deal, which Coca-Cola claims is no longer viable, is rumoured to cost Mr Nikolai billions of rubles per year, as well as access to the vast marketing resources of the beverage giant.
In response to these changes in market opportunities, Mr Nikolai has reportedly sold his major stakes in Mattel, Apple, VISA and Christco, causing their respective share process to drop by between 30 and 40%. Market analysts have suggested he is likely to shed more stocks in the coming days.
In a rare, exclusive interview with 60 Minutes, Mr Nikolai claimed he was getting tired of running his empire. "Ever since this operation went global it's just been non-stop. It started out as a December hobby business, which freed me up to go hunting and spend time with family during the rest of the year. But after we teamed up with Coke and the market really took off, we had to bring our campaigns forward to meet demand. Now we're rolling out our material as early as September or even August, and spending the rest of the year planning. It's like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge: it never ends."
When asked about the impacts of the business on his personal life, Mr Nikolai appeared quite emotional.
"You know, this whole thing is meant to be about enjoying time with friends and family, but I have a number of great grand children who are a few years old whom I haven't even met yet. No amount of gifts will make up for that. Running a global franchise just isn't compatible with a healthy family life, especially now that China is shifting from being our biggest supplier towards dominating our consumer market... See? I can't even talk about my grand children without getting into market-speak."
So where to from here?
"I'm planning to sell off the bulk of the operation— there are still plenty of opportunities in developing countries where there is less Christmas regulation (except for in the Middle East)— and then I'm looking at investing in skills training programs. At the end of the day, there will still be demand for Christmas presents, but without the marketing, people will have to be more resourceful in their sourcing, and ultimately go back to making things themselves— which means relearning skills like baking and working timber which have been lost in recent decades. To be really honest, I'd like to spend my remaining years giving back to the community, and undoing some of the damage my business has done."