Bryan Buckley and Havas London Let Us in on Asda’s Gnome-Coming This Christmas
The Christmas season is officially a go! And it’s UK supermarkets’ favourite, but also incredibly busy time of year, when they get to pull all of their magical helpers out. Today, we look behind the scenes of Asda’s Christmas campaign – a whimsical festive adventure full of the charming antics of five animated gnomes on a mission to save Christmas.
Created by Havas London and directed by the renowned ‘King of the Super Bowl’ Bryan Buckley, the campaign features Asda's beloved gnome characters, who respond to a call for help from store employees Maggie and Bill as a blizzard threatens holiday preparations. After calling on famous pop culture Christmas icons in the past couple of years, this time Asda has decided to build upon its brand legacy.
The ad is set to the theme of ‘The A-Team’, invoking a nostalgic sense of adventure as the gnomes – each with their own distinct personality – whip the store into Christmas-ready shape. With character development by Emmy-winning Legacy Effects and 3D animation by Rascal Studios, the gnomes’ journey comes alive in a way that blends realism with the magic of the season.
Havas London’s chief creative officer Vicki Maguire and Bryan Buckley share more on the creative process with LBB’s Zoe Antonov – from designing each gnome’s personality, to balancing humour with heartfelt moments.
LBB> Can you tell us about the inspiration behind choosing gnomes as the central characters for Asda’s Christmas campaign this year?
Vicki> Our brief for Christmas has always been, ‘How can we bring our customers the best Christmas ever?’. Asda does this in spades. Their quality is off the charts and their value is to die for… Christmas just adds that little bit of extra magic.
In the past, our helpers have included Buddy the Elf and Mr Christmas himself, Michael Bublé – both taking jobs in the store. This year, the answer was right under our noses: ‘iconic’ Asda gnomes. As they already have a cult following amongst our customers, it seemed only fitting that they came back to the mother ship, to help get Christmas cracking.
LBB> What made 'The A-Team' theme music an ideal fit for this campaign, and how did it contribute to the story of these miniature heroes?
Vicki> Choosing the right music went on for months! Too schmaltzy, too rock, too Christmas-y, not Christmas-y enough, too cool-for-school, too try-hard. You name it. ‘The A-Team’ just worked. It had that camp ‘80s classic feel and it fitted with the action perfectly, and our Asda heroes (our A team), who worked together to bring Britain the best Christmas ever.
LBB> The gnomes each have distinct personalities! How did you develop these characters, and what qualities did you want each to represent about Asda’s holiday spirit?
Vicki> Through a true team effort. Bryan Buckley’s attention to detail, storytelling and bringing inanimate characters to life is next level. We workshopped the characters together with our Asda crew, then sat down with Legacy Effects, Barnsley and the crew at Rascal, to round these characters out in terms of movement and expression. When you find yourself saying, “But Gnorma would never do that!” you know you’re onto something… or going mad.
LBB> What were the main challenges of directing a commercial with such intricate animation and effects, and how did you address these to create a seamless final product?
Bryan> In terms of the animation process, once we landed on the script and its breadth of characters, we turned over the actual visualisation of the gnomes to Legacy Effects. They crafted the designs over a two month period. Many of which will be sold at ASDA this holiday season! Then we took the approved designs and handed them over to Rascal, where they began 3D development.
Working with editor Chan Hatcher and Havas really helped create the seamless final product. We created a workflow where we first did rough storyboards. Then an edit of those boards followed by a rough pre-vis. Once we dialled in those timings, we brought in cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema (who just won the academy award for ‘Oppenheimer’) to help craft the overall look and feel of the piece.
LBB> This ad has a mix of humour and heartwarming moments. How did you balance these tones to create a memorable holiday ad that resonates with diverse audiences?
Vicki> Collectively, we approached the TVC as a feature. Light, shade, pathos, jeopardy and ultimately a happy ending. Look at Max, the aged have-a-go hero who, despite losing his little ceramic leg (twice), still manages to rally the troops and deliver Christmas. A classic Hollywood story, via Leeds.
LBB> How did you capture the mix of action, adventure, and warmth that makes the ad feel both exciting and festive?
Bryan> It really all came down to creating a script and characters that would make the journey – one you would get on in the opening frame and never let go. That meant developing gnomes and actions that weren’t just vignette moments, but rather a series of events that built on one another to an emotional payoff.
LBB> And in terms of set design, how did you approach creating a winter wonderland that still felt like an Asda store?
Bryan> We turned to production designer David Skinner who worked in concert with Havas and the client to develop a store floorplan that allowed our gnomes to roam while delivering the feel of a real ASDA. We applied set extensions to the aisles and built out the roof with Rascal. And shot the exterior practically using a combination of different types of fake snow and CG snow.
LBB> With the wide media approach, including teasers, social media engagement, and PR events, how did you ensure the gnomes remained intriguing and engaging across different channels?
Vicki> Really going the extra mile in the early days, in terms of characterisation allowed us to take our Gnomies out of the TVC and into other media spaces, without them losing their magic or meaning.
LBB> Can you talk about the choice to incorporate live-action elements with animation? How did you blend these to maintain visual consistency and keep the gnomes as the heroes of the story?
Bryan> The key was establishing our two ASDA employees, Bill and Maggie, and their plight of being stuck in the middle of a blizzard trying to get the store ready for Christmas. Then essentially moving from strictly live action into a combo of animation and live action. Once we did this, we continued to shoot the piece as if it was completely live action. And even treated the gnomes and their actions, more like they were ceramic than like something that was created in CG. Always trying to keep things as practical and real as possible. Which meant being imperfect all the way down to Max breaking when he fell.
LBB> How did you approach the challenge of making Asda’s Christmas message stand out in a highly competitive holiday advertising space, while staying true to the brand’s identity and values?
Vicki> Asda gnomes are already a ‘thing’ – there are collectors' groups and Facebook pages dedicated to the little fellas. Some limited editions fetch hundreds on eBay and I think the fact that this year, we haven’t ‘borrowed’ interest, we’ve built out from an existing Asda asset, really brings our brand values to life in a gnome-shaped way.
