Case study: How Santa Claus used Bud to clean up his Naughty & Nice list

Every December, Santa Claus faces one of the biggest data challenges in the world – managing the Naughty and Nice List. With billions of names, inconsistent inputs from elves, and endless behaviour updates coming in right up until Christmas Eve, maintaining accurate segmentation and personalization is no easy feat.

In 2025, Santa partnered with Bud to bring clarity to Christmas. Using our products, he gained a detailed view of every child (including next-best presents), cleaned up messy data, and created precise naughty/nice segments, just in time for take-off.

The challenge

For centuries, Santa relied on handwritten scrolls, elf reports, and good old-fashioned intuition. But as the world became more digital, so did the data, and the North Pole’s systems couldn’t keep up.

Santa’s biggest challenges included:

• Duplicate records (Two entries for “Timmy J., Leeds” – one naughty, one nice.)
• Un-enriched data (Handwritten notes, social media whispers, and half-baked elf spreadsheets.)
• Inconsistent criteria (“Sharing toys” and “not eating vegetables” didn’t have clear weightings.)
  

With Christmas Eve fast approaching, Santa knew he needed a solution – and fast.

The solution

Using Bud, Santa’s elves connected all data sources (behaviour logs, wish lists, toy request histories, and reindeer-approved delivery records) into one unified platform.

Bud’s enrichment engine automatically:

• Cleaned and enriched billions of records to remove duplicates and inconsistencies
• Segmented Santa’s customer base based on key behavioural attributes (sharing, kindness, bedtime punctuality)
• Built dynamic segments that updated in real time as new data arrived (“redeemed themselves in December” segment saw record growth)
  

The Results

Within days, Santa had the most accurate Naughty & Nice List in history:

With clean data and clear insights, Santa could make confident, data-driven gift decisions, ensuring every child got exactly what they deserved (and no one ended up with coal by mistake).

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The impact

Santa’s sleigh efficiency improved, toy allocation accuracy skyrocketed, and for the first time ever, he could truly see the reasoning behind the Naughty & Nice segments.

Good data makes magic happen. Whether you’re managing global gift delivery or personalizing financial experiences, clean, enriched data is the foundation for meaningful connection.

From the North Pole to your institution, Bud helps you understand your customers like never before.

Happy Holidays from the Bud team! 🎄