Jon Hamm reprises his role as Santa Claus in Fox Sports’ spot promoting the network’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 running November 20 through December 18. Also starring in the spot are Ellie Kemper as Mrs. Claus and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and songstress Mariah Carey as themselves.
In the spot, we drop in on Santa (Hamm) at his workshop at the North Pole as he learns that “the biggest sporting event on the platform” will take place during the holiday season. Mrs. Claus soothes his immediate anxiety and helps him see that it might be a good thing, so he jumps up to encourage the troops to get to work.
“We’re going to need a ton of stars,” he says, as the screen shows some of soccer’s top players. The spot goes on to show Brady asking “he’s getting kind of old, isn’t he?” as he watches Christian Ronaldo run across his screen, and Mariah Carey rejecting Santa’s request for a song: “do you know how busy I am at this time of year?” And the U.S. Men’s soccer team – including Christian Pulisic, Walker Zimmerman, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Jesús Ferreira, and Yunus Musah – passes a plate of food down a loaded Thanksgiving table just like they pass a ball past a field of defenders.
“The 2022 World Cup is completely historic and unique because it’s the first time the tournament will take place during the holiday season, and our creative campaign featuring some of today’s biggest stars is focused on letting people know just how special this moment will be,” said Robert Gottlieb, president, marketing, Fox Sports in a statement. “Combining the greatest sporting event in the world with the most fun and festive time of the year is a supersize gift for fans.”
Hamm (Mad Men, Top Gun: Maverick) is the executive producer and star of Fox’s upcoming animated comedy Grimsburg, which has already been picked up for a second season.
The spot debuted on-air on Sunday, October 9 during Fox’s airing of Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the Atlanta Falcons.
CREDITS
Client: Fox Sports
President, Marketing: Robert Gottlieb
SVP, On-Air Promotions: Bill Battin
Lead Creative: Gary Van Dzura
VP, Creative: Blake Danforth
VP, Production: Claudina Mercado
VP, Production: Keith Hritz
Sr. Creative Director: Steve Lewis
Director, On-Air Promotions: Meghan de Andrade
Producer: Rebecca Wilmer
Production Coordinator: Lauren Schwartzer
Flame Artist: Kevin Prendiville
Production: Hungry Man Productions
Director: Wayne McClammy
Executive Producer: Rick Jarjoura
Director of Photography: Paul Cameron
Editorial: The Den Editorial
Editor: Christjan Jordan
AE/Editor: Jake Swartz
Sr. Producer: Carolina Padilla, Jessica Davis
VFX: JAMM Visual
Executive Producer: Asher Edwards
Sr. Producer: Ashley Greyson
VFX Supervisor: Jake Montgomery
Flame Artist: Pat Munoz
Production Coordinator: Anne-Marie DePauw
Color: Company 3
Colorist: Bryan Smaller
Sr. Producer: Mario Castro
Audio: Wave Studios
Executive Producer: Vicky Ferraro
Producer: Eleni Giannopoulos
Audio Engineer: Chris Afzal
Tags: company 3 fifa world cup 2022 fox sports hot spots hungry man productions jamm visuals jon hamm the den editorial wave studios