Asda's gnomes 'leak' its Christmas campaign, but swoop in to save the holidays

[Orange]

Santa’s little helpers just got some serious competition! Asda’s Christmas campaign, crafted by Havas London and set to The A-Team theme tune, stars a crack team of garden gnomes who swap lawn duty for a festive rescue mission.

 

But the ceramic saviors aren’t entirely do-gooders… it seems they’d snuck out the commercial before its scheduled release on November 6.

 

 

 

 

 

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When a snowstorm threatens to derail Christmas preparations at an Asda store, two employees discover help comes in small packages—specifically, an army of action-ready garden ornaments.

 

 

Led by five distinctive characters, including thrill-seeker Max and drag artist Gnicky, the diminutive squad transforms the store overnight. They’re joined by gourmet chef Gnibbles, surfer Gnarla, and party planner Gnorma as they stock shelves, prepare treats, and deck the halls.

 

 

The mission concludes with a clever twist on Chris Rea's holiday classic, reimagined as “Driving Gnome for Christmas.”

 

 

Starting November 7, shoppers can bring home their own versions of the five hero gnomes, joining Asda’s existing Mrs. Claus ceramic gnome collection.

 

For this spot, director Bryan Buckley, known for his Super Bowl commercials, joined forces with Emmy-winning Legacy Effects for character design. Rascal Studios handled animation and post-production, ensuring the gnomes’ adventure looked as polished as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Social media played a key role in the campaign’s rollout. Born Social orchestrated a staged “leak” of the advertisement by the gnome characters themselves. Meanwhile, PR agency Cow had been dropping hints throughout 2024, including appearances on outdoor advertising during major sporting events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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David Hills, Asda's Chief Customer Officer, explained that these garden fixtures have long captured shoppers’ hearts, making them natural stars for the seasonal campaign. 

 

 

“Asda’s gnomes are long standing favorites with our customers and they were staring us in the face as the obvious characters for our Christmas campaign - a very Asda way for us to showcase our breadth of offer.”

 

 

Seconding this, Vicki Maguire, chief creative officer at Havas London, comments, “Asda’s gnomes are not just iconic, they’re much loved by all—taking pride of place in people’s homes and gardens up and down the country. Bringing them to life this Christmas continues Asda’s focus on humorous, warm brand campaigns that tap into what customers really care for and love about Asda and its offer.”

 

Images: Asda / Havas London