Don’t Wait for Luck to Happen
Dutch State Lottery
TBWA\NEBOKO
Overview
The Dutch State Lottery has built a history of powerful stories. The bar was set high for this year. Rather than flaunt the cash prize, the State Lottery sought to become customers’ first choice through a more emotional connection.
For the 2023 New Year’s Eve Draw, their film pushes the message that 30 million euros is the second-most-beautiful prize and that some things in life are more valuable. A disruptive thought for a lottery campaign that aims to move people and inspire.
The Challenge
The annual New Year’s Eve draw of the State Lottery (Staatsloterij) is a traditional lottery event in the Dutch market. After a successful 2021 campaign, the tides have turned. 2022 was a rough year for State Lottery due to economic downturn and all-time low consumer trust.
The New Year’s Eve draw delivers roughly 20% of the brand’s annual sales. A good result is important, as all proceeds are given back to society, sports and health organizations. The objective was now to sell over 7 million tickets and achieve a turnover of €150 million, in just three weeks’ time.
Our key competitor has a similar draw in this period. Putting the money prize front and center won’t do the trick. There needed to be a deeper emotional connection with our audience to become their first choice.
The Solution
As a national and state-owned lottery brand – existing for almost 300 years – we aim to be empathetic regarding societal sensitivities. Post-covid and in recession, this uplifting story of deep human connection should be an antidote to strong sentiments of polarization and loneliness in society.
We sought a heartwarming story with a high level of engagement, but lottery brand legislation forbids the use of children or targeting a younger audience.
And so, this film featured a man who surprises his elderly father by announcing that they are going on a trip to Lapland, where his father holds sweet memories. The son reveals that he has won the State Lottery, making it possible. It becomes the adventure of a lifetime. Upon returning home, it’s revealed that the son’s lottery draw is yet to happen, emphasizing the message: “Don’t wait for luck to happen.”
The Results
For the fifth time in a row, we broke our turnover record, reaching 159.7 million euros and selling 7,166,000 tickets. The campaign delivered on its high expectations. Campaign recognition reached 68% (against a 40% benchmark) and scored an average of 7.1 out of 10 for appreciation (national benchmark is 5.9 out of 10).
Particularly, the 61% score on the “Sympathetic campaign” rating (benchmark is 24%) and 57% score on “Remarkable” (benchmark 31%) prove we did touch the hearts and souls of the down-to-earth Dutch.
The film was rewarded as the Best Commercial of 2022 by the Dutch public, being #1 out of 120 nominees in total.
