Lotto NZ backs its winning formula; launches new ‘Mum’s Wish’ TV campaign via DDB New Zealand

A year on from the launch of Lotto NZ’s hugely successful ‘Pop’s Gift’ campaign, DDB and Lotto NZ have unveiled its spiritual successor; Mum’s Wish’.

This new Lotto Powerball story revolves around a close-knit family of four siblings who come together at their childhood home to fulfill a strange last request from their late mother. What looks like a get-your-hands-dirty job to get the house ready for sale, turns out to be something entirely unexpected.

DDB chief creative officer, Damon Stapleton, says the 90-second film is a continuation of Lotto NZ’s  ‘Imagine’ brand platform launched in July 2015, which is once again directed by the award-winning Steve Ayson from The Sweet Shop.

VIEW THE SPOT

Says Stapleton: “This whole journey began with a key insight. We’ve all dreamed of what we would do if we ever ‘won big’ — pay off mortgages, chuck in the day job, take amazing holidays and so on. But would we really?

“We found out through talking to Lotto NZ that the reality of what big winners do is quite different – they instead chose to help others, friends and family.”

Lotto winners demonstrated that the real power of Lotto isn’t that it gives you money – what it really gives you is unlimited time, freedom and choice.

Says Stapleton: “We wanted to tell the Lotto story that inspires players to dream, which is not really about material wealth –  it’s about the possibility of how lives might be changed for the better.”

Using this powerful insight, Lotto committed to a shift away from focusing on the ‘winning moment’ and instead inspiring Kiwis to dream.

Lotto NZ chief marketing officer, Guy Cousins, says this move has bought the emotion back into the brand.

Says Cousins: “We believe Kiwis care more about the intangibles of time, freedom and choice than material wealth and this has really been bought to life, first by ‘Pop’s Gift’ and now ‘Mum’s Wish’.”

Over the past year, there has been a significant lift in sales performance.  More people have been playing Lotto more often and the brand has been strengthened.

Says Stapleton: “I think these results highlight the truth of what we’ve been saying for some time: Making an emotional connection with your consumers in a way that resonates and feels true is the key to driving growth for any brand.”

Says Fiona King, managing director, The Sweet Shop New Zealand: “What I loved most about this script was the original concept of such a bold and heartfelt gesture by the mother. It offered the opportunity to develop a strong emotional narrative. Once again, this was a true collaborative partnership with DDB that allowed us to make a film that brought to life how lives can be changed by Lotto. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

Chief Marketing Officer: Guy Cousins

Music: Soundtree, London