The New Jersey Lottery has awarded its creative business to Ferrara & Company after a review. Cedar Knolls, N.J.-based Brushfire, which handled both creative and media for the Lottery for nearly a decade, defended the business and retained the media portion.
The advertising budget is projected to exceed $20 million for the state's fiscal year, which began on July 1, according to Bill Murray, vp and general counsel for the Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, the outside firm that the state hired to help manage the lottery.
The New Jersey Lottery issued a request for proposals in April and held separate pitches for the creative and media business. Based on the scoring method outlined in the Lottery's RFP, Ferrara & Company scored the most points for creative while Brushfire nabbed the most for media, according to Murray. The contracts will span three years with two one-year options for renewal.
16 New Jersey and New York-based agencies vied for the business. In May, Northstar narrowed that list down to five finalists each for the creative and media business. Princeton, N.J.-based Ferrara & Company did not compete for the Lottery's media business.
"We are thrilled to be chosen as the lead agency for the New Jersey Lottery to help build their brand and drive revenue for the state," said Art Ferrara, founder and CEO of Ferrara & Company, in a statement. Ferrara & Company works for clients like Arm & Hammer, Heinz and OxiClean.
"The competition for entertainment dollars is very strong," said Russ Knapp, general manager for Northstar in a statement. "It is important to keep ahead of the competition to guarantee growth of the funding for New Jersey education and institutions and the public they serve. We believe a partnership with Ferrara & Company will help us fuel new interest and growth."
The first work from Ferrara & Company is slated for later this quarter.
A spokesman for Brushfire was not immediately available.
