Lotto and love have something in common… and this campaign hit the jackpot!
| From the desk of Miles Everson: Hello, everyone! One of the reasons I love Thursday is because I get to talk about “Guerrilla Marketing.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with this yet, guerrilla marketing is an unconventional strategy that is simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and sometimes, inexpensive. I am personally fond of this strategy because it reminds me that we can never run out of creative ways to get our target audience’s attention. Today, we’ll talk about a magical guerrilla marketing tactic conducted in the festive Christmas season of 2022. Read on to know how one organization in the U.K. made people understand what it feels like to win BIG in life. |
Lotto and love have something in common… and this campaign hit the jackpot! Christmas is a magical and exciting time around the world, especially in the U.K., which sees many brands release their most-anticipated advertising campaigns. Usually, marketing teams begin to work on their Christmas adverts months in advance in the hopes their storytelling will entertain consumers during the most important shopping season of the year. One of these is The National Lottery , the U.K.’s state-franchised national lottery established in 1994.
For the 2022 Christmas season, The National Lottery partnered with marketing agency adam&eveDDB to develop a concept that would encourage the British public to play the lottery, while also building brand equity. Rather than focusing on a pure sales activation campaign during the cost-of-living crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic, The National Lottery and adam&eveDDB recognized the role that a powerful narrative would play in driving greater fame and positive feelings for the organization. As Ben Tollett, adam&eveDDB Group’s Executive Creative Director, said: “At a time when the nation needs some magic in the air, we wanted to create a larger-than-life story about the lottery and true love—two games of chance that make the perfect subject for a Christmas romantic comedy.” How did the strategy play out? “Just Imagine”… For Christmas 2022, The National Lottery asked people in the U.K., who were desperate for a lift after two years of lockdown, to “just imagine.” In an epic TV spot, inspired by some of Britain’s most-loved and festive rom-coms, the public saw how a chance encounter between two people on a train and a lost National Lottery ticket sets in motion a serendipitous love story. The ad encourages the public to take a chance and believe in the magic of hope and possibility during Christmastime. Here’s exactly what happened in the “A Christmas Love Story” ad… Directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper, the Christmas ad tells the story of a man and woman meeting on a busy train during the festive season. Directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper, the Christmas ad tells the story of a man and woman meeting on a busy train during the festive season.
Unfortunately, the number is smudged. Oh nooooooo… So, the woman returns to the train station on New Year’s Eve to track him down. The man’s quirky ringtone helps her reunite with him, at which point she excitedly announces he has the winning lottery numbers.
Aww, sweet! The campaign was grounded in a story of hope and possibility: A classic tale of boy meets girl, brought together with a winning ticket, set to an arrangement of faith.
What started off as a tricky brief—a Christmas ad that had to take place in the real world and couldn’t feature any magic—ended up as a story that touched on themes that people encounter in real life: luck , love , and serendipity . What’s more? The “A Christmas Love Story” film was supported by a fully integrated multi-media channel campaign, including a real-life experience that invited the public to get involved. Special photo booths, placed at chosen train stations across the U.K., encouraged passers by to have their photos taken and see it projected on nearby digital out-of-home (OOH) spaces. Additionally, the campaign ran across social, radio, OOH, retail, and press, and was complemented by integrated creative for all individual Lotto, EuroMillions, and festive Scratch Cards games. Was The National Lottery’s “A Christmas Love Story” campaign effective? “A Christmas Love Story” truly changed behavior and boosted sales!
The campaign also bagged a few awards!
The numbers and accolades have spoken: It is clear that The National Lottery’s campaign captured the attention of the U.K.’s public during the recovery Christmas season of 2022. Congratulations, The National Lottery and adam&eveDDB! — Indeed, winning the lottery makes people feel like the luckiest person on earth… but who would’ve thought that finding “the one” would feel just as lucky? In a year where the world was clambering to its feet again, seeing an ad story about a young couple brought together in love by a winning Lotto ticket gave the public hope and possibility. Clearly, this was the ideal campaign that gave people the lift they needed in 2022! After all, some people describe the search for love as a minefield… yet love is also like a lottery. Yes, the odds might seem slim, but if you don’t buy in, you can’t win. We hope you enjoyed and learned from this guerrilla marketing feature! Think of this in the context of marketing, too. There’s a risk you have to take… That’s why you have to think outside of the box! Sure, there would be times when you'd feel like the odds for success in marketing are slim. However, the more you don’t buy in, the more you won’t win. Here’s the upside: Taking your chances opens up the possibility for success… and when you win, you’ll win BIG. You just have to ensure your campaigns are relevant to the times and to what your target market needs at that moment. Are you ready to hit the jackpot with your next guerrilla marketing tactics? Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. The barriers to entry have never been lower for talented professionals to work independently, and today’s massive external workforce is hardly a pandemic-produced fad. Business owners can only survive in the new work landscape by partnering with this deep talent pool. With decades of experience in both small-business entrepreneurship and executive management at PwC, I truly believe that the future of work is independent. With that, I’m happy to share with you that my book, co-authored with Walter Scott Lamb, is now available on Amazon! Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work & The Independent Mind This new bestseller is an essential read for both independent professionals and corporate executives. Here, we provide educational and practical guides to unpack the ever-growing workforce and offer you crucial ways to become a client of choice. Click on the link above to order your copy. Let this bestselling book help you future-proof your career and organization in the new world of work. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing! Do you want to know how a famous pizza brand inserted itself into one of the world’s most famous video games ? Find out how in next week’s article! |
Miles Everson
CEO of MBO Partners and former Global Advisory and Consulting CEO at PwC, Everson has worked with many of the world's largest and most prominent organizations, specializing in executive management. He helps companies balance growth, reduce risk, maximize return, and excel in strategic business priorities.
He is a sought-after public speaker and contributor and has been a case study for success from Harvard Business School.
Everson is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.S. in Accounting.
