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ASDA: Have Your Elf a Merry Christmas


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Son of a nutcracker! Asda has introduced a very special festive colleague, and star of its 2022 Christmas campaign: Buddy the Elf, under license from Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products. After scattering a trail of festive breadcrumbs – causing fans of the 2003 movie classic to exclaim ‘I know him!’ – Christmas-loving character Buddy the Elf is confirmed as Asda’s newest seasonal recruit in its jubilant and cheer-spreading Christmas advert. Created by Havas London, it uses original footage from Elf to plant the beloved Buddy right at the heart of a bustling Asda store in the build-up to his favourite time of year, Christmas. Reprising iconic lines from what has been voted the UK’s favourite Christmas film1, the ad, which premieres on Friday 4 November at 8.45pm on ITV1 in the Coronation Street ad break, charmingly captures Buddy’s wide-eyed wonder and unbridled passion for all things festive. The film opens with a loving homage to Elf’s iconic ‘street crossing’ scene – except this time, it’s a train of Asda shopping trolleys, not a New York City cab, that causes Buddy to exclaim “sorry!” as it crashes into him. This marks the beginning of a wondrous (for Buddy), if chaotic (for everyone else) trial shift, which sees Buddy marvel at Asda’s selection of Christmas goodies including some enticing icing sugar sprinkled Extra Special mince pies, eat all the free maple pigs in blankets samples, distract colleagues with his Christmas plans, and – of course – take the chance to sing loudly over the store Tannoy system. However, when the store closes and Buddy adds his own magic touch, decking out the entire shop floor in fairy lights and festive decorations (while re-christening the ‘elf checkouts’), it’s quickly apparent that when it comes to Christmas, Buddy and Asda are a match made in heaven. He’s got the job – and to his delight, he can stay. As he dashes – enthusiastically, of course – out of the store, he runs straight into the same shopping trolleys he encountered on his way in, causing a bemused colleague to smile, as the line ‘Have your Elf a Merry Christmas’ flashes up on-screen.
Credits Other credits

Client

Senior Director, Brand Communications & Marketing: Stephi Brett-Lee

Head of Campaigns: Rebecca Holmes

Campaign Manager: Amy Kennedy

Production Manager: Claire Ibbotson

Agency

CEO: Xavier Rees

Chief Client Officer: James Fox

Senior Designer: Sam Kallen

Creative Production Director: Dean Trendler

Head of Strategy: Britt Iversen

Strategy Director: Flo Sharp

Senior Strategist: Jack Lewis-Barclay

Managing Partner: Dave Owen

Business Director: Jamie Bolton

Account Director: Cherith MacRitchie

Account Manager: Sophie Hodges

Account Executive: Caitlin Toohey

Head of Production: Katie Keith

Head of Film: Louise Bonnar

Production Lead: Olivia Riddle

Assistant Producer: Ella Myerscough-McClymont

Media agency: Spark Foundry UK

Chief Client Officer: Katharine Baker

Managing Partner, Planning: Felicity Bowen

Business Director, Planning: Jon Hill

Account Director, Planning: Sarah Codd

Account Manager, Planning: Clare Miles

Group Account Director, Activation: Lyndsey Terrill

Group Account Director, Activation: Mike Lawrence

Head of Performance Planning: Mark Oldfield

Digital Excellence Lead: Callum Sergison

Paid Social Business Director: George Tilbury

Social agency: The Hut Group

PR agency: COW

POS agency: Creative Race

Production

Production Designer: Joseph Bennett

Costume Designer: Verity Hawkes

Make-Up & Hair: Beverley Pond-Jones

Casting Director: Greg Kyle

Editor: Eve Ashwell @ The Assembly Rooms

Post production and VFX: Framestore

Creative Director: Kamen Markov

VFX Supervisor: Jules Janaud

Compositing Supervisor: Ben Taylor

Head of Advertising: Helen Weil

Executive Producer: Anna MacDonald

Grade: Company3

Colourist: Stef Perry

Previs: The Third Floor

Sound: 750

Sound engineer: Sam Ashwell

Music supervisor: Daniel Breheny @ Soho Music

Track: Frank Sinatra – Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Choir arranged, recorded and produced by Luis Almau for Soundtree Music

Music supervisor: Neil Athale

Licensing: Born Licensing

Director: David Born

Senior Licensing Executive: Amber Cheung

CEO, Talent Republic: Anne Batz

Managing Director, Talent Republic: Charlie Powell

Senior Account Executive, Talent Republic: Ella Barker

Researcher, Talent Republic: Louise Urwin

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