4 Years On: Why Brands Still Aren’t Getting Characters Right

We argued that characters provide instant familiarity, deep emotional connection, and a proven commercial upside. Four years on, the thesis has aged well. What hasn’t changed is the industry’s general hesitancy to fully embrace it.

Yes, we’ve seen some incredible examples since then. Two campaigns in particular that we worked on, ASDA’s Buddy the Elf and Sainsbury’s BFG, stand out as gold standards for what’s possible when brands invest in beloved characters. But they also reinforce the bigger issue: if these campaigns worked so well, why haven’t more brands followed suit?

Buddy the Elf for ASDA: The Benchmark

When ASDA brought Buddy the Elf into their 2022 Christmas campaign, it was the first time the character had ever appeared in UK advertising. The campaign used footage from the original Elf film, brought to life with seamless VFX and clever storytelling. And it wasn’t just a nostalgic gimmick - it was a strategic, high-impact success.

• It scored a 5.9-star rating on System1’s Test Your Ad, placing it among the top 3% of ads ever tested.
• It was named the Nation’s Favourite Ad of 2022 by ITV and System1.
• Thinkbox recognised it as Best TV Ad Creativity of the year.
• The ad drove exceptional short-term sales impact and full brand fluency.
• Across social and TV, the campaign generated millions of views, high engagement, and a clear uplift in ASDA’s brand sentiment and market share.

This campaign proved what we’ve long believed: when done right, character-driven advertising isn’t just creative, it’s commercially powerful.

The BFG for Sainsbury’s: A Giant Win

In 2024, Sainsbury’s joined the character club with their Christmas campaign starring Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant. The result? Their most successful Christmas campaign in years.

• The ad scored a perfect 5.9-star rating on System1 - the first time a Sainsbury’s ad had ever done so.
• It delivered a 3.8% sales uplift, marking the retailer’s best holiday performance since 2019.
• It generated exceptional emotional engagement and 96% brand recognition.
• The campaign extended beyond TV, with BFG-themed in-store promotions, OOH activations, and immersive storytelling.

It was a clever creative decision, yes - but also a clear commercial one. Like Buddy, the BFG offered instant emotional shorthand, and the public responded.

What’s Changed - and What Hasn’t

These campaigns prove the thesis from our white paper: character IP works. It boosts recall, drives sales, and creates emotional resonance. But despite these high-profile wins, we’re still not seeing widespread adoption – in our white paper, we estimated that only about 1% of UK advertising features fictional characters. The industry’s broader approach to character licensing remains mostly untouched when compared to other strategies such as hiring a celebrity, a musician or a sports star, even though 38% of the general public prefer to see characters in ads, as opposed to 22% for musicians and celebrities, and 18% for sports stars. Too many brands are still defaulting to celebrities, missing the emotional punch that iconic characters offer. And strategic planning is lacking, with advertisers and their agencies often look at character IP too late in the creative process, limiting their options.

So What Now?

We’re doubling down on our original message: character IP should be seen not as a novelty, but as a serious creative and commercial tool. And for brands ready to embrace it, here’s our advice:

1. Think strategically. Don’t wait until the last minute to consider character IP. Build it into your creative plans early, just like you would with music, talent, or animation.
2. Plan for amplification. Character campaigns work best when they’re integrated across channels; TV, digital, OOH, in-store, even product ranges.
3. Use the proof. ASDA and Sainsbury’s have already made the case for you. And there are other strong cases in the white paper. These aren’t just emotional ads - they’re revenue drivers with measurable brand-building impact.

Final Thoughts

We still believe in the case we made in 2021. We believe even more strongly now. We have more data and more cultural moments to prove it. The success of Buddy and the BFG isn’t anecdotal; it’s evidence. Brands that embrace characters win hearts, headlines, and market share. And those that don’t? They’re missing out.

So here’s our call to the industry: it’s time to stop treating character IP as a quirky creative detour. It’s time to put it where it belongs - at the heart of your biggest, boldest campaigns.

Read more from Born Licensing here.