Pop the Bublé, it's officially Christmas: Global superstar Michael Bublé gets to work in Asda's festive ad

Following the release of its Christmas teaser on 1 November, Asda has today unveiled its charm-infused 2023 Christmas ad – in which multi-platinum selling global superstar Michael Bublé and his trademark charisma steal the show.

Premiering today, 4 November, at 9.45pm on ITV in The Voice ad break, the new 90-second Christmas TV ad sees Bublé in his element as Asda’s inaugural Chief Quality Officer, tasked with ensuring the retailer delivers the very best quality for the nation this Christmas. It marks the first time the legendary Canadian famed for his Christmas hits has appeared in a Christmas ad.

Created by Havas London and shot by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, the ad opens with Bublé sitting, full of cheer, feet up on his new desk, and his gold-plated Chief Quality Officer desk sign in full sight for all to see.

“Products to approve – so bring Mr. Bublé your best”, orders an Asda colleague, once Bublé had finished cheekily requesting a “clean up on aisle five” – something he’d ‘always wanted’ to do. As he walks into a room full of Asda colleagues eagerly awaiting his arrival, he admonishes the fishmonger who has tried, again, to push mackerel for Christmas dinner this year.

He then enters the festive warehouse seen in the teaser to get to work approving Asda’s finest Christmas offerings. From measuring panettones and selecting the final cheese to complete Asda’s Extra Special Christmas Cheeseboard, to sampling some succulent truffle and parmesan pigs in blankets (which he playfully exclaims might beat him to Christmas number one), as an indisputable connoisseur of Christmas Bublé draws on his expertise to ensure the quality of every product on the supermarket's shelves.

The spot even includes a playful tip of the hat to Asda’s 2022 Christmas campaign featuring Buddy the Elf; as Bublé taste tests various pigs in blankets flavours, he dismisses the maple-covered sample as “so last year” – a nod to Buddy’s proclivity for sweet treats, and the tray of samples he scoffed in 2022.

“Off for the night are you?”, asks the original Asda colleague, as the ad draws to a close – to which Bublé declares he’s just getting started, as he joins a store-front choir to sing his crescendo, ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’.

Once again, Asda’s campaign aims to bring the British public genuine, unadulterated joy this Christmas – with the retailer and Bublé coming together to not just kick off the festive period, but to own every moment of it together.

As well as the TV ad, which will appear on screens up and down the country in the build-up to the big day, the campaign spans print (including high-profile cover wraps unveiling Asda’s new Chief Quality Officer), PR, out-of-home, video on demand, digital and social, CRM and in-store executions, as well as activity across Asda Radio and Asda Magazine.

David Hills, Chief Customer Officer at Asda says: “At Asda, we firmly believe that having the good stuff shouldn’t break the bank – especially at Christmas. We absolutely love the festive season at Asda – and we couldn’t think of anyone better to bring our Christmas campaign to life than Michael Bublé. With Bublé’s undeniable ability to spread seasonal smiles and our commitment to quality, at great value, we’re a match made in heaven, proving Asda is a one-stop-shop for families seeking magic this Christmas.

Michael Bublé commented: “I love my relationship with the UK, and I’m the biggest fan of Christmas, so it was an honour to be asked to star in Asda’s Christmas advert this year. Adopting the role of Chief Quality Officer, I took my responsibility very seriously, ensuring all product met the highest possible standards – naturally ensuring I had the joy of personally sampling them all - from Black Tiger Tempura Prawns, Truffle and Parmesan Pigs in Blankets to chocolate and Orange Panettone. I believe Christmas is a time like no other, there's a special feeling in the air, a little more magic to be found, and even more excuses to put on a show with great tasting food.”

Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, says: “Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Michael Bublé. He’s an undisputed icon who gets everyone singing, dancing, and feeling merry – and after another tough year, customers deserve it. But it’s not just Christmas Michael Bublé is synonymous with – he understands great quality. So, who better to ensure Christmas is the best it can be by quality controlling every aspect of it. If it isn’t good enough for Bublé, it isn’t good enough for Asda customers – and we hope this campaign puts a big smile on their millions of faces.”

Hannah Stone, Producer at Hungry Man says: “Christmas adverts are always some of the biggest and the best of the year, so it was incredibly exciting for Hungry Man to be able to work on Asda's 2023 Christmas campaign, and to see the fun we had working on the production and on set translate onto the screen in the final films.”

It was created by Creative Partner Nathalie Gordon, Executive Creative Director Dan Cole, and Chief Creative Officer Vicki Maguire at Havas London, and shot by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi through Hungry Man. Media planning and buying was handled by Spark Foundry, with social activity from Havas’ earned media specialist One Green Bean, and PR from integrated creative communications agency Cow. The partnership with Michael Bublé was brokered by Talent Republic, the specialist consultancy that partners brands with A-list talent across the globe.