Who thought a Granny and her dog could sell Lottery tickets? We did, and so did our clients.
The Challenge
Every year, the Vermont Lottery offers players a set of holiday instant tickets followed closely by a group of Winter-themed games. The holidays are inundated with marketing messages making it difficult to stand out. Plus having to introduce another lottery campaign just a few weeks later made this a doubly hard challenge. But in 2020, we found a way to create some memorable advertising that presented both games to players all across the state.
The Insight
Vermonters have a great sense of humor and are the first ones to have fun recognizing the quirky character of families. It’s part of the charm of living in Vermont. So whether they’re enjoying the holidays or trying to brighten up snowy winter months, Vermont families like to play games and make them part of their celebrations.
The Solution
We created a story about a fictional family, the Gilmores, that began with the holidays and continued into Winter. The whole gang, including Granny and Waldorf the dog, were part of the narrative. The two animated Gilmore TV spots, allowed us to celebrate Vermont Lottery holiday tickets and promote their new Winter Games as well. With the help of incredibly talented animators, voice actors and original music composers, we brought the Gilmores and their fun-filled antics to life. The integrated campaign ran on TV and radio with point-of-sale print ads appearing in Lottery retail stores from December into January.
The Results
The 2020 holiday and winter integrated campaign contributed to the continuing growth of instant ticket sales for the Vermont Lottery, with a year-over-year increase of 11.7%. Players and retailers commented on the memorable and entertaining Gilmore family animated TV spots, complimenting Vermont Lottery for such imaginative and creative messaging.
