Asda Christmas ad 2022 – Buddy the Elf

Asda Christmas ad 2022 features Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell), under license from Warner Bros.
Asda’s new Christmas TV ad uses original footage and iconic lines from the UK’s favourite Christmas film to place the beloved Buddy right at the heart of a bustling Asda store in the build-up to his favorite time of year, Christmas.

Set to Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town and created by merging classic film footage with newly filmed scenes, the ad charmingly captures Buddy’s wide-eyed wonder and unbridled passion for all things festive as we join him on his first day as a member of the Asda in-store Christmas team.

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 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 campaign line ‘Have your Elf a Merry Christmas’ flashes up on-screen.

Sam Dickson, Acting Chief Customer Officer at Asda says: “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.”