Iconic Christmas character Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, has been confirmed as Asda’s newest seasonal recruit for its 2022 Christmas advert. Premiering on Friday, November 4, at 8.45pm on ITV1 in the Coronation Street ad break, Asda’s new 90-second Christmas TV ad uses original footage and iconic lines from the film to place Buddy at the heart of a bustling store in the build-up to his favourite time of year, Christmas.
The ad is set to Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town and was created by merging classic film footage with newly filmed scenes. It shows Buddy’s wide-eyed wonder and unbridled passion for all things festive as viewers join him on his first day as a member of the Asda in-store Christmas team.
The film opens with a homage to Elf’s iconic ‘street crossing’ scene except uses a train of Asda shopping trolleys, not a New York City cab, that causes Buddy to shout "sorry" as it crashes into him. This marks the beginning of a wondrous but chaotic trial shift, which sees Buddy marvel at Asda’s selection of Christmas goodies.
This includes at icing sugar sprinkled Extra Special mince pies and eating all the free maple pigs in blankets samples. He also distracts colleagues with his Christmas plans and takes the chance to sing loudly over the store Tannoy system.
When the store closes, Buddy adds his own magic touch and decks out the entire shop floor in fairy lights and festive decorations whilst re-christening the ‘elf' checkouts.
Buddy has got the job and to his delight he is allowed to stay. As he dashes out of the store, he runs straight into the same shopping trolleys he encountered on his way in and causes a bemused colleague to smile.
The campaign line ‘Have your Elf a Merry Christmas’ flashes up on-screen.
Sam Dickson, Acting Chief Customer Officer at Asda said: "Like Buddy, we absolutely love Christmas – so we’re thrilled to welcome him to our team. We know this has been a tough year for so many people, which is why we want to create some little moments of joy for families this year with our Christmas campaign, and more importantly, our amazing products.
"We hope that with a little bit of help from Buddy, our joy-filled Christmas offering will create some festive magic and helps give families a Christmas to remember together."
Asda will be giving a special festive surprise to five different community groups, to give them the chance to celebrate Christmas. The supermarket will also be collecting toys for children’s charities as part of its gift appeal and stores will bring festive cheer to customers with local choirs and bands playing throughout December.
In addition, Asda is also introducing several initiatives to help those in need this Christmas, including Asda cafés providing a £1 meal deal for OAPs, continuing its popular kids eat for £1 deal, as well as cost-of-living grants to support community groups with increased rent and bills.
To watch the ad, visit YouTube or tune into ITV1 at 8.45pm on Friday, November 4.
