Allwyn UK reveals its biggest ever Christmas campaign for the National Lottery.
Allwyn UK, operator of the National Lottery, brings some reindeer magic to its Christmas campaign.
The ad, titled This Christmas, it could be you, will run for 10 weeks between early November and January across TV, cinema, digital, retail, out-of-home (OOH), and creator partnerships.
The festive ad features a particularly enthusiastic reindeer attempting to fly. He keeps pushing himself and wishing for the ability… and in the end, with a tiny robin cheering him on, the manages to fly.
A nearby hiker, inspired by the sight, reaches for his National Lottery ticket.
Claudia Winkleman, the National Lottery’s ambassador-in-chief, concludes the ad by saying: “Amazing things happen when you believe. This Christmas it could be you.”
The ad was produced by creative agency VCCP with support from Studio 59 – Allwyn’s in-house agency team – alongside Hearts United, which led the media buying.
The campaign will be launched alongside a host of special Lotto and EuroMillions draws, as well as a range of festive scratch cards available in retail and digital Instant Win games.
Content creators will support the campaign through a social media campaign, which asks people: “What do you believe in?” The aim is to uncover authentic stories on the impact the National Lottery has had on communities, families and people’s lives.
The National Lottery will use its 40,000 retail outlets with a festive programme of point-of-sale activity, which includes standout displays and in-store media in the run up to Christmas.
Steve Parkinson, marketing and brand director at Allwyn, said: “This Christmas It Could Be You is our biggest-ever campaign to date and the first to bring the entire National Lottery portfolio together under a single Christmas platform. Building on the successful return of the original, It Could Be You, last year, the campaign taps into the magic, optimism and possibility that make Christmas such a special time of year.
“At its heart, The National Lottery is all about belief. It’s that moment when you ask yourself, ‘What if?’ Whether that’s imagining how a win could change your life, or seeing the extraordinary impact National Lottery funding has on communities across the UK.”
Leaders’ take
The ad is heartwarming, fun and festive. It illustrates the power of a simple hope, which is so central to the Lottery’s ethos. Winkleman, although she does not feature on screen, delivers a strong audio performance with an instantly recognisable voice.
The ad has seemingly used a lot of CGI or AI in its production, so it does seem to have a cartoonish hue, but does not come across cheap or soulless. Of the Christmas ads so far, this is one hits the mark and even makes you smile when you see the reindeer fly.
