Illinois Lottery Campaign Goes for the Heart This Christmas

The Illinois Lottery is focusing on the joy of thoughtful giving in its new holiday marketing campaign that includes nearly 300 pieces of content across a wide range of channels including English and Spanish language broadcast, digital, point of sale, out of home, social and more.

The new campaign by the Illinois Lottery was created in partnership with Camelot Illinois, the Lottery’s private management company, and with O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul, the Lottery’s advertising agency.

The seven-week campaign brings to life the holiday tagline 'Give the Gift of Possibilities', showing that the gift of a lottery ticket can help reveal a deeper connection between two people. In the launch commercial, a grandfather hands out cards to family members, each one with a message that recognises the specific wishes of the recipient. For a granddaughter, the card includes a handful of lottery tickets with a note that reads 'I hope you can go on the honeymoon of your dreams'. A similar campaign features a Spanish-speaking family with the cards coming from the abuela (grandmother).

“We wanted to create an emotional message for the holidays and saw an opportunity to show how gifting lottery tickets could be a true expression from the heart,” explained Harold Mays, acting director of the Illinois Lottery. “We demonstrate how a lottery ticket is about more than winning and how it can represent a real personal touch from the giver.”

Bob Jensen, group creative director at OKRP, notes how the campaign contrasts with other marketing during holiday time. “We wanted to focus on the power of giving. The ads are about the desire to give more, to go beyond what your family wishes for and give what you wish for them.”

The television and video ads, which will began airing on November 12th, feature real families to create authentic connections. OKRP also created a series of crafting videos (Wreath) (Place Setting) (White Elephant) that show how holiday lottery tickets — with themes like Twelve Elves, Candy Cane, Holiday Cash and more — can be used to create wreaths, holiday trees and add a personal touch to place settings, gift packages and bottles.

In one short video, a Chicago Bulls jersey gets wrapped in a box with lottery tickets and the copy reads “give a Bulls jersey… and maybe great seats.” In-store displays will feature the crafting ideas created as part of this campaign, and special bottle hangers and gift envelopes will also be available at retail stores while supplies last. In addition, an influencer campaign will be launched closer to the holidays with influencers posting their own versions of Lottery craft designs.

The new holiday marketing campaign will appear throughout Illinois.