A son visits his old father in an elderly home and tells him they are going on a trip to Lapland, where his father cherishes sweet memories. His father hesitates and implies the plan is way too expensive. Then his son announces: I have won the State Lottery.

It becomes the trip of a lifetime. They go on a husky sleigh ride and are lucky enough to see the northern lights. But above all, they are having a great time enjoying each other’s company.

Back home the old father lively shares his adventure with his co-inhabitants.

A nurse congratulates the son with his lottery win. But then he reveals the draw is yet to come and he is hoping to win.

The film ends with a statement: Don’t wait for luck to happen.

The annual New Year’s Eve draw of State Lottery [Staatsloterij] is a traditional lottery event in the Dutch market.

After a successful 2021 campaign the tides have turned. 2022 was a rough year for State Lottery due to economic downturn and all-time low consumer trust. This draw delivers roughly 20% of the brand’s annual sales. A good result is super important, as all proceeds a given back to society, sports and health organisations.

The objective is now to sell over 7.000.000 tickets and achieve a turnover of €150 million, in just 3 weeks’ time.

Our key competitor has a similar draw in this period, advertising a 58.9 million jackpot, while ours is 30 million. Putting the money prize front and center won’t do the trick. We need to find a deeper emotional connection with our audience to open them up and become their first choice.

For the 5th time in a row we broke our turnover record, reaching 159.7 million euros and sold 7.166.000 tickets.

The campaign delivered on its high expectations. The campaign recognition reached 68% (against a 40% benchmark) and scored an average of 7.1 out of 10 for appreciation (national benchmark is 5,9 out of 10).

Especially the 61% score on ‘Sympathetic campaign’ (benchmark is 24%) and 57% score on ‘Remarkable’ (benchmark 31%) prove we did touched the hearts and souls of the down-to-earth Dutch.

The film was rewarded as the Best Commercial of 2022 by the Dutch public, being #1 out of 120 nominees in total.

Like in many countries, celebrating New Year’s Eve is a big national tradition. The Dutch come together with friends and family and even ignite their own fireworks in front of their homes.

As a national and state-owned lottery brand – existing for almost 300 years – we aim to be empathetic regarding societal sensitivities. Post-covid and in recession, this uplifting story of deep human connection should be an antidote to strong sentiments of polarization and loneliness in society.

We seek a heartwarming story with a high level of engagement, but as a lottery brand legislation forbids the use of children or targeting a younger audience.