Go big or go gnome! Or if you’re anything like Asda – do both. The supermarket has launched into Christmas with an animated adventure featuring a team of garden gnomes who rise up from the snow to save Christmas.
Set to propel gnomes Max, Gnibbles, Gnorma, Gnicky and Gnarla to superstardom, the charming adventure premieres across Asda’s social channels today, after the pint-sized characters ‘leaked’ it for all to see, before airing on TV for the first time on ITV on Wednesday 6th November 8.15pm on ITV in the Coronation Street ad break.
The ad has been painstakingly created over the past seven months and built from over 3,000 hours of animated footage. Further – and dialling up the drama, the gnomies’ adventure is set to the iconic and euphoric theme of The A Team – the beloved 80s TV show set around a crack squad of commandos tasked with completing daring rescue missions.
The ad opens on two Asda colleagues, Maggie and Bill, staring out of a store into a huge snowstorm. Maggie is visibly concerned; “every road is closed between here and Sheffield, how are we going to get the store ready for Christmas?”
Bill, with the benefit of experience, picks up a gnome and presses its nose – it lights up green, sending a signal to hundreds of gnomes across gardens, pub shelves and tower blocks nationwide, who answer the call for help.
When the team of ceramic heroes arrives at Maggie and Bill’s store, they immediately get to work transforming the store into a Christmas wonderland. The gnomes showcase a variety of Asda’s festive offer – which this year includes over 540 products, including award winning ‘Exceptional’ mince pies at £2.50, a stunning George ombre sequin dress at £32, perfect for the party penguin bao buns at £3.50 and of course, a gingerbread gnome.
With the sun coming up, chief Gnome, Max, announces “It’s time to go Gnome” and the miniature heroes set off in Asda delivery vans, leaving a perfectly prepared store ready for Christmas. The film ends with Chris Rea’s famous Christmas classic, with the lyrics adapted to ‘Driving Gnome for Christmas’.
Alongside a wider cast of hundreds of Asda gnomes, it’s the hero gnomies – Max, Gnibbles, Gnorma, Gnicky and Gnarla – who take centre stage in the campaign, and each comes with their own unique set of skills. While Max is a charming, reckless adventurer, Gnicky is a fabulous drag artist and fashionista. Then there’s gourmet chef Gnibbles and cool as a cucumber surfer-gnome Gnarla, with the quintet rounded off by perfectionist party planner Gnorma.
While Max and co. were conceived for the ad campaign, fans of the gnomes will be delighted to hear that the pint-sized heroes will be showing up in real life too. From Thursday 7th November, the five hero gnomes will join Asda’s already famous ‘Mrs Claus’ gnome on shelves up and down the country for customers to buy.
David Hills, chief customer officer at Asda, commented: “Asda’s gnomes are long standing favourites 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.
“Our priority is to make sure our customers can have their best Christmas possible with great quality food, general merchandise and amazing George clothing & home items all under one roof. Our customers can trust that they will get the best quality they expect from the festive season all at Asda’s incredibly low prices. From decorating their home and dressing for the party season, to consuming award-winning Exceptional mince pies and truly show-stopping centrepiece meats and desserts – all with Asda’s uncompromising value promise.”
Asda’s gnomes have long been popular in stores with characters ranging from the Mini Unicorn, bride and groom gnomes, to a dancing Santa. The retailer has sold over 100,000 festive gnomes over the last four Christmas periods, and has a dedicated buyer tasked with gnome handling.
