The National Lottery Heroes the Long-Lasting Love of Lotto

A new campaign from The National Lottery spotlights the long-lasting love between its flagship game, Lotto, and its regular players. 

'Pockets', created by adam&eveDDB, aims to put a spotlight on Lotto, the game long synonymous with The National Lottery, by putting it front and centre of the campaign. Players, who’ve grown up with the National Lottery, are reminded of the excitement of playing and that a life-changing win is within everyone’s reach. 

Included in our campaign is a 90” film, directed by Oscar-winner Tom Hooper, that follows a couple’s enduring love and sense of hope over three decades. It begins in 1994, on the night of the first-ever National Lottery draw. As the numbers are drawn, a dropped Lotto ticket sparks an attraction between our two protagonists, Edward and Isaac.

Through Millennium celebrations, a lover’s tiff and a wedding, their love endures – along with their hope that Edward’s Lotto numbers will come up. The film reaches its crescendo when Edward sees his winning numbers and, after a brief scare that the ticket is lost, they celebrate the win they’d always hoped for.

The film is an evolution of The National Lottery’s award-winning Christmas campaign ‘A Christmas Love Story’, which was also directed by Hooper, and successfully highlighted the joy of winning. 

adam&eveDDB partnered with numerous production companies throughout the process, including SMUGGLER, which handled the film production; ON ROAD, a cultural research agency which ensured the accurate portrayal of gay men from the 1990s to the current day; and Framestore and Whitehouse Post, both of which handled post-production.

The TV ad is supported by a fully integrated multi-media channel campaign, all connected by The National Lottery’s most distinctive asset – the pink ticket – the symbol of each player’s belief in a win. From the central brand film through to weekly 10” TV draw reminders, and striking OOH & press, the ticket is the hero. 

The mix of pockets celebrates National Lottery players: those tenacious believers who, despite the incredible diversity of their lives, are united by the powerful hope that – one day – it could be them. 

Ivor Burns, marketing director at National Lottery operator, Camelot, said, “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.”

Ben Tollet, group executive creative director, adam&eveDDB said, “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.”

iProspect have created a fully integrated media campaign across TV, BVOD, press, cinema OOH, digital and social, launching during ITV’s hugely popular Britain's Got Talent followed by smash hit Love Island.

It breaks on 4th June on TV and online video, supported by OOH, print, radio, cinema and social activity. The campaign will run throughout the second half of 2023 and into early 2024.