Buddy the Elf has become Asda's latest seasonal hire in the supermarket's 2022 Christmas campaign.
Santa's tallest helper, beloved in the classic 2003 film, is spreading the Christmas cheer (singing loud for all to hear) in a heart-warming 90-second advert.
Under license from Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, the ad pays tribute with footage and iconic lines from the festive film.
Asda’s latest Christmas colleague will make his TV debut on Friday, November 4 at 8.45 pm on ITV1 during the Coronation Street ad break.
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Set to Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, the advert merges clips from the festive flick with new scenes as the beloved elf navigates his first day as a member of the Asda in-store Christmas team.
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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.
Buddy marvels over Asda’s selection of Christmas goodies from the retailers to icing sugar-sprinkled Extra Special mince pies and maple pigs in blankets.
His delightfully chaotic shift is full of festive fun especially when he somehow gets hold of and sings loudly over the store Tannoy system.
In true Elf fashion, Buddy adds his own magic touch to the Asda store after closing time as he decks out the entire shop floor in fairy lights and festive decorations.
Despite distracting the rest of the employees and causing a bit of a raucous on his first day, he got the job in the end.
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.”
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Watch Asda's 2022 Christmas advert
As part of its commitment to spreading Christmas cheer and making brighter moments possible for all this festive season, Asda will be giving a special festive surprise to five different community groups, to give them the chance to celebrate Christmas - that they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do so without the retailer’s help.
"Asda 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."
The advert comes as the supermarket introduces several initiatives to help those in need this Christmas, including Asda cafés providing a £1 meal deal for OAPs as well as continuing its kids eat for £1 deal, as well as cost-of-living grants to support community groups with increased rent and bills.
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