New LOTTO AMERICA^℠
Game Launch

Ticket sales for the HOT LOTTO^® national drawing game had been on the decline for years. So the Multi-State Lottery Association decided to bring back LOTTO AMERICA^℠, the first multistate lottery game, which was eventually replaced by POWERBALL^®. With five numbers and a “Star Ball,” there was a guaranteed $2 million jackpot. However, each state was tasked with coming up with their own creative for the campaign. The Delaware Lottery came to Ads Variation Ltd to help get players excited about this “new” game.

To build excitement, we knew the campaign had to feel big—POWERBALL^® big. We decided that there was nothing bigger to help sell the game than America herself. So we set out to showcase that our sweet land of liberty was getting even sweeter, by highlighting the one thing all Americans can agree on: winning millions. Billboards, change mats, print ads and transit ads with playful lines were created, each using the Star Ball in the visual. A TV spot with alternate lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a radio spot with that “four score and seven years ago” feeling rounded out the campaign. Other digital tactics, such as banner ads and social media posts, were also created.

Ticket sales in just the first few weeks of the campaign dramatically outpaced HOT LOTTO^® sales. Ads Variation Ltd’s social strategy and online games also garnered positive traction.