Target debuts 'weirdly hot' new Santa and people are obsessed: 'Marketing needs a raise'

Target shoppers say the store’s new holiday ad campaign is appealing to its target demographic, and they’re here for it.

This November, the company dropped a “sleigh-ful” of new ads in which Santa debuts a brand-new look.

In the ad campaign, actor Brent Bailey plays Kris K., a Target employee with a secret — he’s actually Kris Kringle.

He wears a tight-fitted red sweater, sports a well-trimmed beard and drives in a red pick-up that has the word “SLEIGH” emblazoned its license plate. The car appears to be a riff on a common motif in Christmas decor that became a TikTok trend last year (“a little red truck hauling a Christmas tree)."

Santa has a new personality to match his sleek appearance, too — one that’s more rock star than jolly. In one ad, Santa bicep curls a tree while walking around a Target. In another, he drives to work at Target the tune of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.”

Target Santa has caught the eye of people in and out of the ads. In one of the commercials, a shopper at Target remarks that Santa is “weirdly hot.”

People in the comments are even less subtle, as Target Santa has seemingly taken off as the holiday season’s new leading man.

“Marketing needs a raise for this Santa!” one person commented on Instagram.

Another said, “I don’t know how to feel about Santa being hot… I’m confused.”

A third added, “This is my favorite Christmas campaign…ever?!”

A fourth wrote, “SOO GOOOD.”

Comments on TikTok echo the enthusiasm. One joked about wanting to see Santa during their shopping trip: “If they don’t have Kris K as an employee at my local Target I’ll sue for false advertising ??.”

"But why did I get goosebumps?" another comment read.

"Makes me believe in Santa again," another said.

Target shoppers felt seen by the ad campaign.

“I have to give props to Target as a marketer. Do they know their audience or do they know their audience?” one TikTok creator said in a video.

"Target knows its target," one creator summed up.

Business Insider worked with the analytics firm Numerator in 2023 for a study about Target's average shopper, concluding that she is a white suburban mother between the ages of 35 and 44.

In a statement sent to TODAY.com, Target said the origins of the ad campaign stemmed from shoppers’ feeling of stress in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“They start the holidays feeling nostalgic and embracing the magic of traditions, but these feelings are quickly overtaken by a mission-driven mindset as the clock ticks down,” the company said in a fact sheet.

Their new marketing strategy is “designed to uniquely showcase Target’s magical role in helping consumers make the most of the holidays — no matter when or how they shop or what they’re shopping for.”

Thus, Kris K was born — a character meant to show how Target “helps guests navigate their stressful holiday shopping missions.”

“Kris is always joyful, helpful, charismatic, funny and whimsical and emphasizes exactly how Target’s store team members play a defining role in its unique Target guest experience throughout the holiday season,” Target added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com