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Jon Hamm isn’t mad that it’s almost football season.
The former Mad Men actor is teaming up with NBC Sports in a teaser spot for Thursday night’s NFL Kickoff Game between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8. Though Amazon Prime Video has the exclusive streaming rights to Thursday Night Football, the season opener will air on NBC as part of the company’s Sunday Night Football package.
“The viewing experience is very broad, and the casual fan could be flipping through at 8:00 at night, and here’s Jon Hamm talking about opening up the season, and they might stop and listen for a second,” coordinating producer Rob Hyland told Adweek. “It’s a reminder of the best-in-class storytelling that Sunday Night Football has been a part of for the past 16 years. I hope people are entertained.”
The 90-second spot puts Hamm in a production studio, having the actor explain that if the Rams’ 2021 season was a movie, the story would have ended with the team winning the Super Bowl. But instead, as is Hollywood tradition, it’s time to deliver another hit.
The spot will run across digital and social media on Tuesday afternoon, making its linear debut during the game broadcast Thursday night.
It’s not the only recent sports promo for Hamm. Fox Sports kicked off its marketing campaign for FIFA Men’s World Cup Qatar 2022 with a 60-second spot starring Hamm as Santa Claus. Hamm also appeared in the Apple TV+ spot “Everyone But Jon Hamm,” which debuted during last season’s NFL playoff games.
Guess who’s back
NBC Sports is aiming to win Sunday night, broadcasting a matchup between Tampa Bay and Dallas. The company has had the rights to Sunday Night Football since 2006 and extended that deal through 2033 last year. And in terms of promotions, Hamm is just the start.
The company also enlisted Michael Jordan to tease Sunday’s upcoming game, paralleling the basketball star’s past sports return with Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady’s return following his recent two-month retirement this year. Jordan retired from basketball for two years in the ’90s before returning to the Chicago Bulls and leading them to three more championships.
“The greatest sports fan and casual fans, you know who MJ is. He’s the greatest of all time,” said Hyland. “He rarely does television appearances and promos or interviews, and to do it meant that he really liked it, and he appreciated Tom Brady and what he’s done. For the viewer tuning in Sunday night, it will hopefully make the viewer’s experience feel bigger and even more special.”
“We swung for the fences with our opening weekend, and we pulled off two pretty memorable pieces,” he added.
The Jordan spot will begin running on Friday across multiple platforms, with a shorter version of the 75-second segment airing on linear.
Both spots were done internally, without the help of an outside agency.
