Asda casts the Grinch as a reluctant Christmas shopper in Lucky Generals ad

Asda is building its Christmas campaign around the Grinch, one of the season's most recognisable characters.

The Dr Seuss creation, notorious for disliking festive cheer, stands in for the families Asda wants to reach. As the ultimate Christmas cynic, he reflects the anxiety many shoppers feel when they look at their festive budgets, and the supermarket hopes lower prices will win over even the most doubtful.

The 90-second brand film is the work of Lucky Generals, with Dexter Fletcher directing, and launched on social and TV on 1 November.

Rather than spectacle for its own sake, the story is rooted in Asda's ongoing 'That's Asda Price' strategy, which aims to give hard-working families real value, a message that matters most at Christmas.

Asda's vice-president of marketing, Adam Zavalis, said: “Your typical hard-working family loves Christmas, but there’s also anxiety around cost.”

He added: “We did a survey of around 500 families and found that while 90% really lean into and enjoy the festive season, 70% say they’re anxious about the expense. This campaign reflects that reality, in a fun, relatable way.”

The story

The ad opens at a busy Christmas market, where the Grinch is hit on the nose by a falling snowflake. Singing a new take on Let it Snow, he grumbles about “frightful” prices and “spenny gifts” and refuses to be won over.

Then Asda's green glow pulls him in, his heart starts to soften and before long he is pushing a trolley loaded with festive food.

Loz Horner, strategy partner at Lucky Generals, said the Grinch is a “perfect shortcut” to a universal truth: every family has someone who is a bit grumpy about Christmas, often because of the cost.

“It was so much fun to make literally our dad into a Grinch,” she said. “You see him grumpy at the beginning, but as Asda price comes to the rescue, he turns back into the festive dad he really is.”

Music and choreography play a big part, with more than 50 performers turning the store into a Christmas cabaret. “Christmas is a time when families really put on a show,” Horner said. “So it felt right to bring it to life through song and spectacle.”

Giles Martin, son of George Martin, worked on the music.

Making the ad

The shoot lasted a week, with long days and close attention to detail. Most of the Grinch's look was achieved in-camera, with the green face the work of a prosthetics team that has won multiple awards.

“He spent about five hours in makeup every day,” Horner said. Real Asda colleagues also appear in cameos. “Our store colleagues were thrilled to be involved and that human element comes through on screen.”

The Grinch's green was deliberately matched to Asda's brand colour. “It’s not just any green,” Horner said. “It’s literally the right shade of Asda green. People notice that and it drives brand attribution really strongly.”

Pre-testing, including research by System1, found that viewers immediately linked the campaign with Asda.

The timing is significant, as The Grinch is 25 years old this year, and the supermarket has long been one of the leading sellers of official Grinch merchandise. Bringing the character into the campaign was a natural extension of both the product range and the retailer's Christmas story.

Wider campaign

Zavalis said: “We’re not just entertaining. We’re driving consideration, preference and trust in our prices. That’s critical. Customers want assurance that they can create a fantastic Christmas without breaking the bank.”

As well as TV and social, the campaign runs across print, out-of-home, CRM, video on demand and in store. Asda Radio and Asda Magazine will carry supporting content, and 30-second mission-led films will promote the retailer's festive food throughout the season.

Social activity will also emphasise the community focus at the heart of the brand. The Asda Foundation has donated more than £3m this year, and the campaign aims to draw attention to that work.

“You can be festive, generous and still budget-conscious,” Zavalis said. “The Grinch is a fun way to tell that story.”