Capital One’s goal is always to be top of mind for consumers. This is especially important during the holiday season when consumer spending is at a yuletide high. Tasked with developing “contextually relevant” creative that would bring joy to a stressful time of holiday spending, they called on John Travolta to play Santa.

The campaign draws on the cultural legacy of "Saturday Night Fever," an iconic film that defined the disco era of the 1970s. By partnering with John Travolta to reprise his role as Tony Manero in a holiday context, the campaign taps into nostalgia for the original movie's cultural impact, soundtrack, and memorable dance sequences. Through homage to the film's visual style, iconic dance moves, and music, the campaign aims to evoke a sense of festive joy while paying tribute to a beloved film.

Capital One’s goal is always to be top of mind for consumers. This is especially important during the holiday season when consumer spending is at a yuletide high. Tasked with developing “contextually relevant” creative that would bring joy to a stressful time of holiday spending, they called on John Travolta to play Santa. By reimagining the iconic character as Santa Claus during the holiday season, the ad taps into collective nostalgia and cultural references associated with both the disco era and festive traditions.

Our ambition was to infuse holiday marketing with disco flair, echoing the cultural resonance of the original 'Saturday Night Fever' film. Capturing the essence of its iconic opening sequence and dance moments, alongside integrating Capital One product placements, was paramount. However, it posed challenges; the original sequence spanned three minutes, whereas we had only 60 seconds. Additionally, John Travolta hadn't performed the dance since 1977, necessitating detailed collaboration with the director to strike the right balance between Tony Manero and Santa personas. Despite these hurdles, our meticulous planning ensured a seamless fusion of nostalgia and festive charm in the 'Holiday Night Fever' campaign. Shooting the ad in mid-August, we overcame the 90-degree weather by using a mixture of practical and CG snow to achieve a wintry look. Despite the summer heat, our team prepared diligently, meticulously walking through every shot with John, ensuring his retro Santa costume came to

The end result was a massive holiday hit for Capital One. Debuting during Game 1 of the World Series, "Holiday Night Fever," quickly became the talk of the season. Sharing of the spot online by the brand, fans and Travolta, himself, generated millions of organic views. And in the end, the spot was voted as the favorite holiday campaign of 2023 by Muse by Clio readers, not to mention Muse's top story of the year. With a little help from Travolta, we sleighed the competition and delivered on the goal of making Capital One one of the most memorable brands during the holidays.