National Lottery reimagines famous strapline for a new generation
The iconic “It Could Be You” advertising tagline, which was used to launch the UK’s first ever National Lottery in November 1994, is making a comeback this autumn.
The slogan, along with the giant gold hand, has not been seen on screens together for more than 26 years. They have been reimagined to reach new audiences to support the nation’s millionaire-making game, Lotto.
As The National Lottery’s flagship game, Lotto has created over 3,500 millionaires since the first draw in November 1994. Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery, will be using the ad to showcase real people winning and support an optimistic nation that is longing for a bit of hope and ‘what if’ belief moments. The campaign features real Lotto millionaire winners from across the years in cameo roles declaring “We won, and you could too!”.
The winners include Sarah Cockings from Newcastle who won £3,045,705 at age 21. Also featured are Chris and Geraldine Bradley from South Wales who were part of a family syndicate with grandfather, Bob, and father, Barry, and shared a £3,570,063 win in 2006. The campaign also sees an appearance from Gary MacDonald, who drove a delivery van round Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex before he scooped the £5,208,504 jackpot in April this year and took early retirement.
The campaign supports a study of more than 2,500 people by The National Lottery that Britons would like more hope in their lives and that we are, at heart, a nation of believers. They have found that 98% of people say that as a nation we could all do with a bit of hope right now. A further 89% of Brits have their fingers crossed for something good to happen, with 41% hoping to win the Lotto.
Underlining how we are a nation of optimists, the majority of public (53%) consider themselves to be lucky, with 72% believing that being positive or hopeful can change the outcome of events. While 40% of the nation don’t believe they are lucky, 61% of people do feel most optimistic when they have something to look forward to.
Steve Parkinson, Brand & Marketing Director at Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery said: “The original tagline ‘It Could Be You’ has always struck a chord with our players and it has never left us. We know our players still use the phrase when they buy tickets and enter the draw and there is a great amount of nostalgia attached to it.
‘We are at heart a nation of optimists who want to imagine what might be possible’
“But there’s also a new generation of players that want those ‘what if’ magic moments that Lotto provides. People win Lotto week in, week out, and we all have a chance if we buy a ticket. We wanted to embrace that and involve some of the real winners from across the years to demonstrate that anyone can win.”
The ‘It Could Be You’ advertisement was used to launch the nation’s very first National Lottery game and the tagline became instantly recognisable. It was coupled with a giant pointing hand descending dramatically from the sky indicating that anyone could win.
“’It Could Be You’ confidently taps into The National Lottery’s history of changing lives, but it also comes at a moment where the British public have been telling us they’d love a bit of more hope in their life. We are at heart a nation of optimists who want to imagine what might be possible,” added Steve.
“’It Could Be You’ has always sparked people’s imaginations and underpinned the magic of winning. Since it started, Lotto has created over 3,500 millionaires and continues to offer huge jackpot prizes in every draw. We all hope and dream that it could be us one day and this campaign aims to get the nation talking about what they would do if it was them next!”
The advert was directed by celebrated commercial director Dave Meyers, who has also shot music videos for the likes of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lemar, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion.
The advert was broadcast on TV first on Monday 1st September with a peak Coronation Street slot. There is a new refreshed look and feel to the Lotto game. September’s Lotto Must Be Won event of a £15m jackpot on Saturday 13th September is being supported by the new branding and is on the point of sale that is heading to retail stores from 1st September.
