Playing the lottery takes on a new meaning in GYK Antler’s latest campaign for the New Hampshire Lottery.
Earlier this month the full-service independent agency based in Manchester, N.H. launched the campaign titled “Are You Game?”
The title is a nod to the idea of “playing the lottery.” The twist is that in these spots, the contestants gamble in an action-packed sequence of Wipeout-style games, complete with bungee cords and giant zorb balls.
The agency hoped to showcase how the N.H. Lottery has become “larger than life” in recent years. The campaign calls attention to three lottery products—scratch tickets, KENO 603 and iLottery. With these additions, plus sports betting, the New Hampshire lottery is more robust.
“We needed a campaign that rose to the occasion to show how much the New Hampshire lottery offers and the energy behind it. You know, the dream of winning? And are you game?” Maura McCann, marketing director of the N.H. Lottery, told Adweek.
To produce it, the GYK Antler team created a massive set where contestants competed in a gameshow-style ad that state residents can view across TV, radio and social media.
“We wanted to put them in this this sort of environment where the tickets were large, the Keno board was enormous and everybody was playing together and experiencing this gamification of the lottery in real life,” said Andrew Harris, creative director at GYK Antler.
Local comedian Juston McKinney served as the “game show host” in all three campaign spots. In the first, called “Scratch Ticket,” contestants attached to bungee cords attempted to launch themselves onto a life-size scratch ticket and be the first to reveal the three “Win” icons.
The “iLottery” spot is a real-life version of one of the N.H. Lottery’s online games. In the ad, contestants navigate an obstacle course and try to evade a Joker, eventually arriving at screens where they can play the Queen of Diamonds e-instant game and hopefully reveal three Queens.
In the “Keno 603” ad, contestants in giant zorb balls rolled down a 70-foot ramp leading to a massive Keno 603 board. To win, contestants needed to land on one of 20 highlighted numbers on the board.
The client’s current marketing team is lean, comprised of two employees who manage marketing, advertising and public relations. Because of this, the brand treats its agency partners as an extension of its own team. Over the course of their approximately 30-year partnership, the agency and client say there’s been significant diversification in the type of ads they’ve created. This campaign is one of their most unique productions, veering away from previous spots set in and around convenience stores or the home.
“If you’re flipping through your TV and you see it, you’re gonna perk up and notice because it has that visual appeal right off the bat. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, it makes you pay attention just because of the scope and scale of what it looks like,” said Matt Doyle, the co-founder of Big Brick Productions, who directed the ads.
This summer, the GYK Antler and N.H. Lottery teams aim to create a real-life experiential opportunity based on the spots for consumers in New Hampshire.
“We are not a boring lottery, that’s for sure,” said McCann.
Campaign Credits
Client: New Hampshire Lottery
Maura McCann, Director of Marketing
Agency: GYK Antler
Andrew Harris, Creative Director
Maddie Goodnuff, Art Director
Dan Lawton, Copywriter
Jeff Newman, Group Account Director
Mike Giovinelli, Director of Strategy
Taylor Bengtson, Senior Account Executive
Barbara McCaffrey, Senior Project Manager
Production: Big Brick Productions
Matt Doyle, Director/EP
Tyler York, Director of Production
Faye Cogen, AD
Lisa Neville, Line Producer
Josh Drake, Sr. Editor
Tori DeYeso, Animator
Daniel Dunn, Director of Photography
Sammy Honeywell, Assistant Editor
Vendors: Slate Casting, ModelClub, Andrew Wilson Agency, Ennis, Rule, High Output, Events United, Merrill Bartlet Group, RJ Kelly
Tom Furcillo, 2nd Camera
Craig Frankenhoff, Jib Operator
Josh Bogardus, Drone Operator
Jeff Olive, 1st AC
Ben Daniels, Alex Lopez, 2nd AC
Carlos Bermudez, Gaffer
Shawn Ryder, Swing
Dave LaRue, Key Grip
Jake Ohrt, Event Lighting Director
Pat Dunn, Video Tech
Ben Nimkin, Audio
James Isch, Locations
Tara Pavoni, Art Director
Rob Carlson, Production Design
Ashley Sykes, Andrew Wallace, Steve Couttes, Set Dresses
Dan Brisson. Kenji Messenger, Joel Ballou, Doug Moore, Mike Cantanzo, Construction Crew
Maili Lafayette/Jamie D’Emarese, Wardrobe
Alex Dale, Hair/Makeup
Alana Bergeron, Production Manager
Riley Sexton, Aaron Kaplow, Tuttie Colon, Lauren Bolger, Josh Marcouiller, Pas
Jeff Pugliese, Medic
Liam Crowley, Covid-19 Compliance
Kristi DeCisero, Craft Services
Steve Coppin, Bungee Tech
Juston McKinney, Host
Brenden Floyd, Lisa Joyce, Joey Lopez, Contestants