There wasn’t time to make anything big. So, instead we did something quite small that had the potential to excite any New Yorker. We posted fliers around New York and online featuring a hand-drawn stick figure with the headline “Is This You?” Because the stick figure could have been anyone, everyone started checking their tickets to see if they were $7 million richer. Beyond achieving our main goal of getting New Yorkers to check their tickets, we created a story that attracted the attention of news channels both in New York and across the country.

In the week leading up to the missing tickets expiration date, we posted our flier at New York Lottery retail location across New York, primarily at the Brooklyn Deli the missing ticket had originally been purchased. Additionally, we posted the flier on our social channels, along with a video telling everyone the story.

In the end, our little flier generated $12 million in earned media within 48 hours. Nearly every major local and national news channel shared the story and encouraged New Yorkers to check their tickets. Online, we saw a 186% rise in mentions based on the week prior.

This one stick figure managed to reignite New Yorkers’ love of the draw game and drove jackpot sales 19% higher across the entire state. However, our greatest measure of success was the droves of New Yorkers who streamed into stores with stacks of unchecked lottery tickets to see if they were winners.