National Lottery Supports Team GB
The National Lottery has launched its biggest ever brand campaign, in support of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The campaign serves as a way to let players know that when they play the National Lottery, they are supporting Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
The Tokyo Olympic Games will soon go ahead, after being postponed for a year. ©Pixabay/Pexels
Supporting Athletes
Camelot, which operates the National Lottery, has now unveiled its Olympic campaign, which will air across TV, radio and digital platforms. It was first aired on July 7th, debuting with a thirty-second spot as England played Denmark in the Euro semi-finals. It was also aired during the final match, when England played Italy, as well as during Coronation Street and Love Island ad breaks.
Viewers will be able to see the adverts all summer, in particular during the run up to the Tokyo Olympics. The campaign will also be visible at 44,000 National Lottery retailers up and down the UK, as well as outdoor digital screens and all National Lottery owned channels. Camelot collaborated with advertising agency adam&eveDDB to produce the campaign, and media planning and buying was carried out by Dentsu.
Over recent years the operator has formed a close working relationship with the ad agency, having worked with it on a number of successful campaigns. Most recently, the pair teamed up on the lottery’s latest Good Causes campaign. It highlighted all the different ways that lottery funding benefits Britain, and starred Ekow Otoo as he was whisked away on a fantasy adventure.
This time, Camelot’s campaign aims to draw public attention towards supporting participants at the Tokyo Olympic Games. For every National Lottery game that is played, a portion of the money raised goes towards supporting Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes competing in Tokyo. Chief marketing officer at Camelot, Keith Moor explained:
“Through the scale and reach of this campaign – The National Lottery’s largest ever – we want players left in no doubt of the role that they play in supporting our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.”
The National Lottery funds more than a thousand elite athletes in the UK preparing to take part in the Olympics and other top-tier competitions. Lottery support helps these athletes by allowing them to train full time, as well as utilize the best coaching, facilities and support.
Celebrating Gold Medals
The new advert stars a whole host of world-class athletes, including sprinter Jonnie Peacock MBE, wheelchair tennis player Jordanne Whiley MBE and taekwondo athlete Lutalo Muhammad. Viewers will also recognize the talents of discus thrower Dan Greaves, race walker Tom Bosworth and paracanoeist Emma Wiggs MBE.
The ad takes a humorous tone, as members of the public attempt to show their support for the athletes in various questionable ways. These include making cups of tea, lending household items to practice with and putting them through their paces. However, using china plates as discuses turns out not to be the most effective way for the athletes to train.
The National Lottery’s message is simple. A voiceover from ITV star Dermot O’Leary explains that there is a simpler way for the public to support the UK’s athletes, and that’s by playing the National Lottery. To emphasize the point, the National Lottery’s now familiar catchphrase is repeated with a twist; “When you play a little, you help our athletes a lot”.
The quirky TV ad is at the heart of Camelot’s marketing campaign, which will also see National Lottery games badged with Team GB and ParalympicsGB logos. The Lotto’s “It Could Be You” TV ads will also be brought up to date with a nod to the Tokyo Olympics.
In fact, players of the National Lottery will be reminded of their role in funding UK athletes at every single touch point. The campaign marks Camelot’s most extensive to marketing push to date. Players will be able to enjoy even more ways to win thanks to a special edition Gold Scratchcard. There will also be special event Lotto and EuroMillions draws.
Once the Tokyo Olympics are underway, the National Lottery’s advertising will celebrate the winning of gold medals in real time. In doing so, it will allow players to see the direct impact that their contribution has had on Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and to take pride in their sporting successes.
Spectators Limited
This year’s event has been more difficult than ever for competitors, having been postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-three sports and 339 medal events are planned to take place across forty-two venues in Japan. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will kick off on July 21st with group matches for the women’s football and softball events scheduled.
However, the official opening ceremony will actually happen on July 23rd, at the Olympic Stadium. The following day, the first medals will be awarded. The games will draw to a close on August 8th, with a closing ceremony due to take place towards the end of the day.
A number of new sports will debut this year, including karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. Baseball and softball have also been brought back for the first time since 2008. Despite hopes that postponing the games by a year would be enough to run events as usual, that has sadly not been the case.
Virus rates have spiked and a state of emergency has been declared in Tokyo, running through the games. According to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the state of emergency will last from July 12th until August 22nd. Attempts to bring the virus rate down include a ban on alcohol at bars and restaurants.
Worst of all for organizers and sporting fans, is the news that spectators will not be able to attend many of the events. Competitions taking place in Tokyo and at venues near the capital will take place without fans present. However, some stadiums in Fukushima, Miyagi and Shizuoka will be allowed to open at half capacity, up to 10,000 people.
The long-awaited games are sure to be watched by billions of people around the world, however there has been opposition in Japan. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper carried out a poll in June, which found that 80% of the population want the games postponed or canceled. There is widespread concern over the Delta variant and the vaccination program is progressing slowly.
