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DDB Needham, the 10-Year Incumbent, Will Defend the Business
NEW YORK–The New York State Lottery’s estimated $50-60 million account, currently handled by DDB Needham here, is up for government-mandated review.
Executives at DDB said they will defend the business.
The law requires the account be placed in review every three to six years, said Matt Mansfield, director of advertising and promotions for the lottery.
The review is limited to full-service agencies with headquarters in New York and billings of at least $250 million. The account includes both creative and media duties, plus all promotional and collateral material. The prevailing agency must also be capable of producing half-hour television shows, according to a questionnaire sent to agencies.
The contract for the account is for a three-year period, with three possible one-year extensions. DDB has won the account twice, plus extensions, since 1988. Its current contract expires Sept. 30; the new contract will take effect Oct. 1.
The budget is still subject to approval by the state legislature. Although Competitive Media Reporting lists billings at about $20 million, the letter sent to agencies claims the account is worth $50-60 million annually once all nontraditional advertising services are included.
Agencies must return the questionnaire by March 9, after which the lottery will prepare a list of 10 contenders. Those 10 will receive a formal request for proposal, which will be due back by May 22.
DDB’s award-winning lottery work has humorously depicted how people’s lives can change by winning Lotto. More recent spots feature a mild-mannered man (and, more recently, his mother) who interrupts various events, such as an opera performance, to announce through a P.A. system that the “New York Lotto jackpot is now ” The tagline, “Hey, you never know,” has become part of the local vernacular.
Recent work for the lottery’s Take 5 game shows a golfer’s putt falling about three feet short. The announcer then yells, “Close enough!” to illustrate that winners only need to match two of five numbers to win. –with Hank Kim
