There are lottery commercials about the exuberant joy of winning. There are lottery commercials about the generosity of sharing a win. Here’s one by adam&eveDDB for The National Lottery that stands out. Lotto’s role in the spot is to keep getting lost and found. That it eventually creates a win is the icing. The “cake” is a story about long-lasting love. Beneath it is the story of the “long-lasting love” Lotto shares with its players.
Pockets’ story begins in 1994 on the night of the first National Lottery draw. Edward and Isaac are introduced when Edward drops his Lotto ticket in a bar. What follows is a classic love story with ups and downs and relatable human moments.
The film was directed by Tom Hooper (Les Misérables & The King’s Speech) and produced by Smuggler. Hooper also directed The National Lottery’s Christmas campaign.
Ben Tollet, group executive creative director at adam&eveDDB, stated “The National Lottery is an iconic and loved part of British history and culture. Starting our film in 1994, at the first-ever draw, brought back all that excitement and gave us the inspiration to tell a poignant story of a player through the ages who never stopped believing.”
The agency worked with cultural research agency, On Road, to capture an “accurate portrayal of gay men from the 1990s to the current day”. Framestore and Whitehouse Post managed post-production.
Ivor Burns, marketing director at National Lottery operator, Camelot, stated, “We wanted to create a campaign that celebrates the relationship our regular players have with their Lotto ticket – the excitement they feel about the possibility of a life-changing win, and their never-ending belief that, one day, their numbers will come up.”
The campaign covers TV, broadcast video-on-demand, press, cinema, out-of-home, digital and social in the UK, and launched during ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent followed by Love Island on June 4. It will run until early 2024. Media is by iProspect.
