Heritage campaigns are tricky. They tend to be all about what the client has, and not much about what’s in it for the audience. The audience cares about what’s in it for them. TBWA\NEBOKO has given the heritage campaign a very cool twist for Dutch State Lottery (Staatsloterij)’s 300 anniversary (the oldest continuously operating lottery in the world). It’s about the timelessness of its audience’s ambition and optimism.
Rather than focusing solely on heritage, the strategic choice was to underline why Staatsloterij has remained culturally relevant for three centuries. The campaign positions the brand as a long-standing supporter of dreams, progress and possibility, then and now.
And it is visually magnetic, a cinematic journey of a man chasing a lost ticket across three centuries, from 1726, the year of the first Staatsloterij draw to today. Boosting interest, that journey stops at defining moments in Dutch history such as the launch of a Holland-America Line ship and the Netherlands’ 1988 European Championship victory.
“We didn’t want to make a campaign that says, ‘Look how old we are’,” stated Michael Kastelijns, managing director of Staatsloterij. “Quite the opposite. This film shows that dreams are timeless. Whether you live in 1726 or 2026, the desire to build something, to move forward, to create a better future connects generations. That’s what has kept Staatsloterij relevant for 300 years.”
“This film isn’t a sequence of historical highlights,” added Dennis Baars, executive creative director at TBWA\NEBOKO. “We wanted to tell a story that feels like an adventure rather than a history lesson. The ambition was to create a narrative that moves effortlessly through time, while keeping the emotional core simple and human.”
The film was directed by Dark Alley director, Matthijs van Heijningen Dark Alley. Production took place across multiple Dutch cities, including Dordrecht, Leiden and Amsterdam. Large-scale set builds, extensive extras casting and detailed historical research, including costume design and styling, were required to ensure each period felt authentic while enabling fluid transitions between centuries.
The hero film launches a broader anniversary platform rolling out across TV, online video, social media and retail throughout the year.
Credits
Client: Staatsloterij (Nederlandse Loterij)
Agency: TBWA\NEBOKO
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen
Production Company: Dark Alley
Post Production: Ambassadors
Music: Studio Lion Noir
Sound: Public Audio
