In a new Target commercial, a female shopper is expressing shock to someone on the phone over the low price of turkeys when a handsome store employee in a bright red sweater with a popped collar tells her that the deals are, in fact, real.
“Sara, did you hear that?” says the woman in the ad. “It was Santa Claus. And he’s, like, weirdly hot.”
Indeed, standing in front of her was the tall, attractive and silver-haired Kris K. (presumably short for Kris Kringle), who apparently moonlights as a sales associate at Target when he isn’t delivering gifts around the world. In another ad featuring the reimagined character, a jolly Kris is seen driving to Target from his home in the snowy North Pole.
The new campaign, “Kris From Target,” started on Nov. 17 and stirred up viewers online who weren’t expecting such a dramatic makeover for the timeless Christmas figure.
Brianna Wood, a 33-year-old living near Seattle, was at home with her five children playing nearby when she first saw the advertisement on TikTok.
“I thought it was hilarious,” she said in a phone interview. “Whatever they’re trying to do is working because everybody’s talking about it.”
Why are companies like Target, or Netflix with its new film “Hot Frosty,” leaning on sex appeal when it comes to Christmas classics like Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman? The reason is probably as straightforward as generating some excitement among a generation of adults who grew up watching the characters and might enjoy a little eye candy while they celebrate the holidays.
“This new campaign introduces a joyful new Target team member who is ready to help our guests complete any holiday shopping mission — with a touch of magic,” Lisa Roath, Target’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “In a series of spots, we follow Kris who knows just the right gift, holiday meal staple, or unbelievable Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.”
Many users on TikTok debated in the comment section of several videos over whether he’s actually hot or simply average looking.
Some debated whether Santa had used Ozempic and marveled at his Ford Bronco. Others hoped to end up on this Santa’s nice list, while many were less impressed by his voice, which was far higher pitched than they expected it to be, earning at least one comparison to the character Olaf from “Frozen.”
Ms. Wood, who thinks the Target Santa is “kind of” attractive, said the new ad was really working on millennial moms, because Kris isn’t “ridiculously” young or old, which is great for people in her age range.
“I think the point is not that he’s like the hottest guy ever,” she said. “I think it’s the shock value of, like, Santa is not supposed to be hot at all.”
According to Laure Borot, a freelance brand strategy director, Target is “rewriting” the holiday playbook with a Santa makeover that’s targeting women, its biggest shoppers, especially during the holidays.
“‘Weirdly hot’ Santa Claus is getting folks into the Christmas spirit with a Hallmark-esque vibe where sexy Santa Kris shows up to make any woman believe in miracles once more,” Ms. Borot said.
Zach Stubblefield, a senior strategist at Callen, a creative agency, said that an advertisement campaign like Target’s was effective in part because it was taking something that’s familiar during the holidays and twisting it in a way that would get people to stop and pay attention.
“As opposed to just using the same old Santa cliché, people are more inclined to say, ‘Hey why does Santa have a six-pack?’” Mr. Stubblefield said. “There’s a thousand different ways you could’ve taken Santa to make it a little bit different, and the fact that they were willing to do something like that is really cool.”
Netflix also caused a stir by taking a classic Christmas character and making him hot. In the trailer for “Hot Frosty,” where a widow somehow brings a handsome snowman to life, the first shot we see of the title character in his human form is focused on his chiseled abs. It’s a departure from the rounded snowman who wears a top hat, smokes a pipe and has a red nose in the classic 1969 film “Frosty the Snowman.”
Mr. Stubblefield pointed out that Netflix’s and Target’s approaches weren’t done in a vacuum, and this type of fan fiction was very common online. “If you got to any online forum of popular characters you’re going to see them fantasized about,” he said.
“These characters grew up with people, and I think that also applies to our holiday canon,” he added. “Instead of making new characters you want to find ways to make the old ones relevant.”
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