DDB Talks Bigger to Texas Lottery Players

DALLAS DDB has launched a general-market campaign to introduce Texas Lottery players to a multi-state game called Mega Millions.

Texas has become the 11th state to join the game; tickets will go on sale tomorrow for the Dec. 5 drawing. Other participating states are Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.

Two new television spots by the Dallas Omnicom shop promote the game and a feature called the Megaplier, which enables players to increase their jackpot winnings.

One spot opens with a shot of a quiet country road and a sign that reads, “Welcome to Texas: The Lone Star State.” As the camera pans over some blades of grass and a single tree, a gust of wind suddenly scatters dollar bills in the air. As a lone bill lands on the Texas sign, a voiceover says, “The new multi-state lottery game Mega Millions is here with rolling jackpots that start at $10 million. It’s the only game that’s bigger than Texas.”

The final scene shows thousands of bills bending the sign back as they form a bird-like migration pattern and take to the air. The tag, “Texas Lottery: Mega Millions,” concludes the spot.

A second spot features the flurry of money outside a convenience store, where a man is playing the game. The bills flutter even more wildly as the man fills in the Megaplier option on his ticket.

Point-of-sale, radio and outdoor are also included in the campaign, which broke yesterday.

The King Group in Dallas, the Texas Lottery’s minority-market agency, has broken a campaign as well. It features country-music singer Charley Pride and Tejano and Conjunto musician Flaco Jimenez, the first time the client has used celebrities in an ad effort.

Campaign spending is undisclosed. The Texas Lottery has said it will spend $35 million on media this year.