Samsung Christmas ad focuses on imagination and family life

Samsung has released its 2025 UK Christmas advert, directed by Ben Woolf, focusing on imagination as a form of everyday strength through the story of a young girl adapting to a family house move.

Titled A Friend for Christmas, the film was directed by Ben Woolf through St Mark’s Studios for agency Taylor Herring. It is running online and in cinemas across the UK during the festive period.

Story centres on childhood adjustment and creativity

The advert follows Laura, a child finding it difficult to settle into a new home after leaving her friends behind. As she watches other children playing in the snow outside, she spends her time with her imaginary companion, Milo. With support from her grandfather, Laura uses Samsung Galaxy AI’s Drawing Assist to create a character from her imagination, which appears as a Christmas morning surprise.

The narrative positions Samsung technology as part of family life, supporting creativity rather than dominating the story.

Director focuses on realism and emotional connection

Ben Woolf: "The story was intended to show Samsung tech integrating into real family life. The film stands or falls on building a connection with the hero girl, Laura. The priority from my side was to capture a child's performance that feels real and grounded. Casting kids, particularly for commercials, is always a challenge - you want to balance a feeling of authenticity with clear storytelling to land the beats in the right order."

Ben Woolf added: "We wanted to make a film that felt emotionally true and showcased the power of AI in a Christmassy setting, demonstrating how AI can fit into a relatable family dynamic, becoming a tool that helps a child's imagination spill into the real world. We aimed for a warm, organic look and feel - keeping the camera language unobtrusive so performance and emotion stayed front and centre. The goal was intimacy and softness, letting the world feel real so that when the AI is introduced, it lands as wonder rather than VFX."

Research underpins creative direction

Samsung supported the campaign with research among 2,000 parents, which found that six is the age at which parents believe their child’s imagination is at its most vivid. The insight informed the creative focus on imagination and emotional development during early childhood.

www.samsung.com

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