Dutch State Lottery Showcases How Time Travel Leads to Choosing Love over a Ticket

Winning the jackpot is a dream come true for everyone, but there is nothing more valuable in life than love. That message rings loud and clear in Dutch State Lottery’s campaign for their New Year’s Eve Draw 2023. This special campaign tells the story of a young man who doesn’t let happiness depend on a big cash prize. On his journey through time, he discovers what really matters in life. When he must choose between the lottery ticket he just bought, or love, his choice is quickly made. The commercial, created by Amsterdam-based agency TBWA\NEBOKO, shows how something beautiful can emerge when you dare to choose what truly makes you happy.

After a successful campaign last year, which featured a son taking his father on the journey of a lifetime, Dutch State Lottery has done it again in making yet another heartwarming commercial. “Every year we try to touch the hearts of the audience with a moving story. A story that tells the message that winning 30 million is an amazing prize, but it comes second best to the love of those we surround ourselves with, that there are more important things to life than winning the lottery. After all, you hold your happiness in your own hands and what could be better than sharing that with someone you love? That’s the chord we want to strike among people this year,” said Michael Kastelijns, Business Director Dutch State Lottery.

Believe in happiness

In the TV commercial “Believe in luck”, we follow a young man whose luck is not dependent on a cash prize. His story begins as he walks past a billboard for the New Year’s Eve draw and his attention is drawn to an antique shop. Inside, he sees an antiquity that looks like a time machine. His curiosity gets the best of him, so he tries pushing the machine’s button and suddenly finds himself in a futuristic house in 2078. He catches his reflection in the mirror and sees an elderly version of himself. A pretty, old woman asks him tenderly “Is everything okay?” and just like that, the time machine whirls again and he’s in 2067…. with the same, seemingly younger woman. They’re enjoying a beautiful spring day together in the back of a sailboat and the man gets excited about his future. The machine activates again and with small flashes of his life, all with this beautiful woman, he slowly approaches the present. 

It is 2023 again. He knows what he has to do: he quickly leaves the antique shop and enters the office supply store next door to buy a New Year’s Eve lottery ticket, just as he saw in the last glimpse of the future. Satisfied, he leaves the store, but when he’s not paying attention, he bumps into someone while accidentally letting go of the ticket. As he looks up, he sees the woman from his vision of the future. “Is everything okay?” she asks. At the same time, he sees his lottery ticket blowing further away. He must choose… the New Year’s lottery ticket or the love of his life. He chooses the latter and strikes up a conversation with her, while the ticket drifts away among the snowflakes. 

The second-best prize

In the past couple of years, Dutch State Lottery has mastered the art of touching the hearts of the public with a series of moving end-of-year commercials that they can relate to. In recent years the campaigns have starred Frekkel the dog (2018), Freddie the hedgehog (2019), Frummel the cat (2020), Fritsie the wooden cuckoo clock (2021), and a father and son duo in “Don’t wait for luck to happen” (2022). 

Four out of the five commercials have been awarded with a Gold Loeki, the Dutch public’s award for best commercial of the year. A unique event in Dutch advertising history. “Don’t wait for luck to happen” has also been awarded with a Bronze Film Lion in 2023. Creative agency TBWA\NEBOKO was once again responsible for the concept behind the latest commercial. “In the New Year’s Eve campaigns, we have been saying for years that winning 30 million is the second-best prize, because some things in life are more valuable than money. We see the New Year’s Eve draw as an annual highlight for Dutch State Lottery, but also as a challenge to demonstrate how beautiful and relevant our industry can be. That’s why every year we put our all into making a moving and disruptive campaign that touches and inspires people.” says Anouk Zink, Managing Director TBWA\NEBOKO. 

Live on all channels 

The commercial will air on the 10th of December on all TV channels in The Netherlands and will then be omnichannel rolled out between the 10th and 31st of December on social media, web, radio, out of home and in all retail channels where New Year’s Eve lottery tickets are sold.