THE AA LAUNCHES A CHEEKY CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN FEATURING ELVES BEHAVIN’ BADLY
LICENSING CHRISTMAS CHARACTERS FOR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
BACKGROUND:
For Christmas, The AA set out to add a playful festive twist to its well-established brand platform, “It’s OK, I’m with The AA.” To do so, the brand partnered with the much-loved Elves Behavin’ Badly IP, bringing the mischievous duo into a seasonal takeover designed to inject humour and character-led storytelling into the campaign. The campaign rolled out across OOH, press and social, capturing the elves at their cheekiest, all contrasted with The AA’s reassuring message of reliability during the busiest and most unpredictable time of year.
THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:
During the early stages, Born Licensing worked with all parties to review the initial creative decks and executions, ensuring the proposed scenarios felt true to the Elves Behavin’ Badly world and appropriate for use within The AA’s platform. This phase involved close collaboration with the creative team to assess feasibility, explore character usage, and shape how the elves’ playful chaos could be woven naturally into the campaign narrative.
THE CALL TO BORN:
Born Licensing was brought on board to lead and coordinate the licensing process, exploring a variety of Christmas properties that would be suitable for the campaign. In the end, the client landed on the Elves Behavin’ Badly, and our team worked closely with PMS International, the Rights Holder for Elves Behavin’ Badly, and The AA’s creative agency, The Gate London. With character-led humour at the heart of the idea, it was essential that the elves’ distinctive tone and mischievous personality translated authentically across every execution, while aligning seamlessly with The AA’s brand values.
WHERE BORN LICENSING ADDED VALUE:
Born Licensing managed the commercial negotiation with PMS International, securing the rights required for the campaign across all intended channels. Leveraging our experience working with both brands and character-led campaigns, we ensured that the partnership was structured efficiently and aligned creatively from the outset. Our role also included acting as the central point of contact between The AA, The Gate London and the Licensor - helping streamline communication, align expectations, and keep the project moving smoothly to tight festive timelines.
THE APPROVAL PROCESS:
Born Licensing managed the approval process from start to finish, submitting all creative materials to PMS International for review and sign-off. This included overseeing feedback across layouts, messaging and final artwork to ensure the elves’ signature mischief was captured accurately and consistently. By guiding the approvals process closely, we helped ensure deadlines were met while maintaining the integrity of the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand.
THE LAUNCH:
The campaign launched nationwide in the UK during the festive period, featuring two standout OOH executions across multiple UK locations, a bespoke branded AA van in Birmingham, and supporting press and social activity across key platforms. By placing the elves’ playful disruption at the heart of the creative, the campaign successfully highlighted the unpredictability of Christmas - while reinforcing The AA’s dependable promise to be there when things go wrong.
Elves Behavin’ Badly® licensed by PMS International Group Plc
THE EXPERIENCE
Born Licensing managed the entire licensing process from start to finish, including research and development, negotiation of commercial terms, the contractual process, invoicing, the brand assurance/approval process, and everything else that came up relating to the use of the Elves Behavin’ Badly.
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