NH Lottery and GYK Antler Launch Game Show Style In-Store Experience

As the first Lottery in the nation, the New Hampshire Lottery has never lost its place as an innovative force within the industry. Whether it’s launching the first multistate jackpot game, scented scratch tickets or becoming the fifth state to offer online play with NH iLottery, the New Hampshire Lottery consistently provides residents with new and exciting games and products to choose from. One of the newest games, 'The Big Spin', offered in partnership with the Tri-State Lotto Commission (ME, NH, VT), is no exception, offering an original take on a traditional product.

The scratch ticket twist? 'The Big Spin' game offers players three ways to reveal a win — scratching the ticket to win a cash prize instantly, watching a spin prize in stores or watching that spin prize reveal on a mobile device. In addition to winning on the ticket itself, there’s a second chance drawing to participate in 'The Big Spin' live event, hosted in 2021, giving finalists chosen from all three states the chance to win up to $250,000.

To promote and educate consumers on this new multifaceted ticket, the NH Lottery partnered with its lead agency of over 30 years, GYK Antler. The integrated marketing company was tasked with developing a creative campaign for 'The Big Spin' that generated excitement around the game, highlighted the unique gameplay and ultimately drove ticket purchases. With many nuances to the game, the challenge was to educate players on those details while encapsulating the excitement around this ticket. 

The creative concept centres around the player experience, specifically highlighting the in-store 'Spin Zone' experience of stepping up to the counter at a retailer to purchase the ticket in hopes of getting to spin the prize wheel. To bring the game show to life, a floor mat prop was created for the TV spot, where the customer stands and becomes the game show participant, getting to spin the virtual prize wheel. Since the floor prop was a key component of the spot, to make the connection easier for consumers, GYK Antler created floor mat decals that are placed in 250 key retail locations throughout New Hampshire. By doing so, 'The Big Spin' players get the 'you’re the next contestant' vibe in their local lottery retailer.

The TV spot and all visual assets were captured in one overnight shoot at Salem, New Hampshire’s Klemm’s Family Store. The fully integrated campaign is anchored in mass awareness tactics, such as television, radio and traditional print pieces, to drive interest and to introduce players to 'The Big Spin' game. The campaign will also be supported through digital assets to drive consideration while being fully supported at over 1,400 retailers across the state with a variety of POS executions.

This engaging and memorable campaign positions 'The Big Spin' as a unique and exciting offering unlike any other game currently available across the Tri-State.

GYK Antler won the project to create the foundational elements for each campaign, which were then shared by the three lotteries of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont for deployment.

In New Hampshire, all winning and non-winning tickets can be entered for a chance to participate in 'The Big Spin' live event in 2021, which is dependent on the Covid-19 status.

Andrew Harris, GYK Antler creative director, said: “With three ways to win, we needed a simple way to educate players on what makes 'The Big Spin' scratch ticket unique. 'Welcome to The Spin Zone', the spot right in front of the register where players engage in the ticket’s most innovative feature, a virtual prize wheel.”

New Hampshire Lottery commission marketing director, Maura McCann, added: “Playing the lottery is all about entertainment, and we needed a campaign that captured the excitement of the 'The Big Spin', while also effectively articulating this unique and innovative game concept. GYK Antler was more than up to the task. The agency was a terrific production partner who captured the feeling on set and carefully yet seamlessly navigated Covid-19 protocols to keep everyone safe and comfortable during the shoot.”