Marcus Thomas Gets Scratching for the Ohio Lottery

By Erik Oster 

A new campaign from the Marcus Thomas agency in Cleveland for the Ohio Lottery focuses on the instant gratification of scratching a ticket rather than promises of future prosperity.

“The people we’ve talked to have said how much fun and joy they get from scratching off a ticket,” Marcus Thomas Account Supervisor Glenda Terrell explained to The New York Times, referring to focus groups. “One gentleman shared that he keeps a few instants in his wallet so when the day is getting a little heavy at work or he’s feeling a little down or frustrated, he can pull out an instant ticket and he can scratch it off, and it erases that down feeling and just resets his day and he’s feeling positive again.”

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In one spot, actor Tim Stoltenberg selects a handful of sweaters at a store called Everything Wool. He then takes the sweaters into a fitting room and emerges wearing all of them, and proceeds to scratch his back against a door frame. The similarly themed “Poison Ivy” and “Mosquitos” show Stoltenberg going to even greater extremes to get his scratch on. Each spot ends with him at a convenience store buying a scratch off ticket. The campaign, which launched August 1st, also includes mobile and radio components. Stick around for “Poison Ivy” and “Mosquitos” after the jump.

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