California Lottery Says the Most Exciting Gifts Are the Ones You Can Play This Festive Season

It’s been said that the most exciting gifts are the ones you can play – especially when you find them in the most unexpected places. In its latest work for California Lottery, David&Goliath has created a fully-integrated campaign that continues the brand’s tradition of encouraging people to Give the Gift of Play with Scratchers® as special gifts for the holiday season.

The playful and heartwarming campaign runs through Wednesday, December 25.

“With this campaign, we wanted to show that it’s the simple, unexpected moments of play that often give us the most joy and sometimes even inspire a healthy dose of fun competition,” said David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of David&Goliath. “Leaning into the strategic insight that ‘play’ is necessary for everyday life, we hope the campaign will inspire people to gift Scratchers to the special adults in their lives this holiday season.”

In the :30 “Hide-N-Seek” spot we see a crafty wife surprise her husband with holiday Scratchers® in the most unexpected place, provoking his ‘oh, it’s on’ declaration and setting in motion a competitive game of hiding Scratchers® in unlikely spaces. From a rolled yoga mat and ironing board to a tissue box and even a roving robot cleaner -- each tries to out play the other.

“For many years, the California Lottery has delivered moments of joy and playfulness during what can often be a busy and stressful time of year,” said Sharon Allen, California Lottery deputy director of sales and marketing. “This year, we’re excited to continue that tradition with a fresh new creative take on our strategy of encouraging Californian adults to Give the Gift of Play with Scratchers®.”

With media planning led by Horizon Media, :30 and :15 versions of “Hide-N-Seek” will run in English and Spanish in top TV markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, Monterey-Salinas and Bakersfield, as well as statewide on streaming platforms including Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, MAX, and Paramount+. Placements will surprise viewers across prime tentpole and holiday programming such as iHeart Radio Jingle Ball, CMA Country Christmas, NBA Cup, NFL Sunday Night Football, and college football.

Also, :30 and :15 Asian-market commercials will run in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese on top-tier Asian-language stations during primetime slots for sports, news, drama, entertainment, lifestyle, and variety holiday shows in the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets.

This year’s campaign also features a new look and festive feel that elevates the traditional Scratchers® brand colors to a rich blue and dazzling gold while emphasizing the message of gift-giving by wrapping the art in a shiny gold bow. The new look and feel is reflected across all campaign elements including retail-level merchandising created by Alcone | TMA.

As part of the integrated effort, David&Goliath and its agency partners Monks and Intertrend Communications also created a series of social adaptations from “Hide-N- Seek” TV, playable social posts, whimsical animated assets and a bespoke Snapchat lens with core messaging around the idea of giving the gift of play this holiday with Scratchers®. The paid social campaign will run across Meta/IG, Snapchat and Reddit.

Added elements of the campaign include radio, outdoor, digital/mobile and print throughout California.