The main prize of €30 million had been the hero message in the NYED campaigns up until 2017. But it lost its appeal and newsworthiness, as it could not compete with main competitor Postcode Lottery, who was heroing amounts ranging between €50 to €60 million in December. The definition of happiness seemed to have at least 6 zeros.

We had to find a new angle. What if having a lottery ticket could make you happy even before the draw, and not just the lucky winner of the jackpot? In the UK, John Lewis has shown that you can ‘own’ December with deeply moving stories. But, this only works if this emotion is genuinely connected with the brand and its offering.

In Dutch language we have one word for both happiness and luck: ‘geluk’. This bridges a deep human desire (happiness) with the concept of a lottery (luck). This was the hinge for our driving insight: Only one lucky person can win the jackpot, but true luck (happiness) is available for everyone. And it is experienced in the mind, not in money.

This is the foundation of our platform idea: ‘€30 million is the second-best prize’, and marks the start of NYED campaigns that became the talk of the town for 5 consecutive years.

Each year we created a story that brings the idea to life: rooted in culture, innovative in execution and creative in plot:

2018: where ugly dog Frekkel showed that everyone needs recognition, love and attention;

2019: where hedgehog Freddie showed that finding happiness takes time;

2020: where black cat Frummel made people believe in luck;

2021: where cuckoo clock bird Fritsie showed that happiness needs to be shared;

2022: where a son and his old Father prove you should not wait for luck to happen.

Each story highlights what truly matters in life, with the lottery ticket driving the plot. This concept allows us to build on societal sentiments and tell stories that resonate with Dutch people.

As a lottery we are not allowed to portray children. Having cute animals in the lead unlocks compassion and form a memorable property to cement the layers of each campaign. The 2022 campaign contained an animal too – husky Frida – but in a support role, as we wanted to tell a more human story to connect more deeply with our audience.

Each year we have 3 weeks to campaign the NYED, and it consists of two phases.

First, it is all about emotional impact: using TVC, cinema, online video, pr and social to share the story and win the hearts of the Dutch.

Second, is creating urgency and push sales, by focussing on the draw and the opportunity to win €30 million. Through OOH, rich media, display and POS-media we feed the fever and encourage people to make sure they have a ticket before the year closes. ‘You have just 3, 2, 1… days to buy your NYED ticket’.