FOX Sports decided to throw its hat into the ring for the best Qatar World Cup ad with the “Superfan Santa” celebrity-infused spot, the centerpiece of the “‘Tis the FIFA World Cup” creative campaign. FOX revealed the one-minute spot for the first time on October 7, followed by a network premiere on October 9 across the FOX NFL schedule.
The executive producer and the star of the long-awaited FOX animated series “Grimsburg”, Jon Hamm, also stars in the one-minute-long “Superfan Santa” ad as Mr. Claus himself. The Emmy Award-winning actor plays the role of Santa Claus who is oblivious to the fact that the Qatar World Cup is taking place during the holiday season.
He’s joined by Ellie Kemper, most widely renowned for her role of Erin Hannon in “The Office,” now turned Mrs. Claus. As they comment on how magical the season is going to be now that the World Cup coincided with the holidays and observe soccer fans caroling in the stadium, they come to a startling realization regarding how much work is ahead of them. Cue Jon Hamm’s hilarious “Oh my gooseberries” line.
Tons of toy soccer stars, sweaters, and cookies (and mistletoe) are churned out to meet the demand. Tom Brady and Mariah Carey both make an appearance amidst the chaos of holiday preparations, as one would expect from both of them.
The entire US men’s national team joins the festivities, featuring Christian Pulisic, Walker Zimmerman, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Jesús Ferreira, and Yunus Musah.
The ad ends with Santa Claus, i.e., Jon Hamm fantasizing about the US team winning the cup with him at the head of the celebratory procession.
This year’s World Cup is a unique one in many respects. It’s the first World Cup to be held in November and December since 1930. Usually, the soccer World Cup takes place in May, June, or July. The change has been made to avoid the scorching heat of Qatar’s summer and potential fatalities of the unaccustomed.
Second, it’s the first World Cup in the Arab world. Qatar swiped the rights in 2010, right in front of the USA, South Korea, Japan, and Australia’s noses.
The marketing for the “‘Tis the FIFA World Cup” campaign is marvelous, inspired, and above all, exceedingly festive. It’s going to be a promising World Cup this year, and an even better campaign lineup as Coca-Cola, Puma, and Budweiser join the fray.
