2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Lotto Max is Canada’s biggest lottery. With an aging player base (only 18% of players are between the ages of 18-35, compared to 29% of the population that falls within this demographic), the future of the lottery as we know it is at risk.

Lotto Max has been engaging this younger generation by connecting to their passion points since 2022. This audience continues to be crucial to growth, so in order to make the lottery relevant to their lives today, they had to give them new ways to play.

By aligning the thrill of finding the perfect thrifted piece with the excitement of winning the lottery, they launched Lotto Max “Thrift Drop” — the first upcycled clothing collection that doubled as a lottery ticket.

To ensure audience connection from the start, they went beyond the collection, mimicking the experience of thrifting itself. They launched a Lotto Max thrift shop at The Well, in the heart of Toronto. The campaign drove engagement, increased perception and relevancy, and resulted in a 94% redemption rate, significantly surpassing benchmarks.

This campaign was measured by perception, aiming to increase Lotto Max’s relevancy perception by 5 points; participation, targeting a 25% increase in first-time lottery play; trial, with a 30% redemption rate for free play; and getting attention, seeking to triple the earned media industry benchmarks and drive 70 million.

Gen Z may not be playing the lottery, but they are spending on secondhand fashion; 83% of Gen Z already shop or are willing to thrift secondhand items.

From fashion (Dream Drop) to food (Dream Bars) to thrifting (Thrift Drop), the agency evolved to meet the brand’s target’s evolving passion points by creating the first thrifted and upcycled clothing collection that could double as your lottery numbers, turning yesterday’s fashion into today’s lottery ticket.

They partnered with renowned designer Kevin Leonel, known for reimaging sports memorabilia and vintage fabrics into a nostalgic, high-fashion piece of wearable art, to create a one-of-a-kind collection. Each piece used seven unique thrifted numbers sourced from vintage pieces.

They teased a new drop on social media and across Toronto, erecting statues (“winequins”) wearing the clothing where passersby could scan a QR code to their teaser page. There, they could sign up for updates, and Lotto Max could capture their data to engage them throughout the campaign.

After announcing the drop, they engaged players through PR, OLV, social, wild postings, and reminder ads to not miss out on the sale.

To intercept the brand’s target, they popped up at the popular Escapade music festival in Ottawa and created a real Thrift Shop at The Well, a new Toronto hotspot for U35. Each event allowed players to try on a piece of the collection, and even take home a “Thrift Drop” tote customized with their seven numbers. To incite play, these events also gave out a voucher for free play.

They re-engaged interested players with cross-sell opportunities. Their “second-chance” contest provided players with a final chance to secure a vintage piece.

Every piece of clothing had a code that was redeemable for a year’s worth of Lotto Max tickets, making your thrift potentially worth up to $80 million.

Lotto Max had success connecting with their target’s passion points in the past with fashion and food. To continue connecting with the brand’s target to stay relevant, their strategic research revealed an intersection between the target’s current passion for thrifting and their desire for social impact.

This led the agency to the following insights to help evolve the campaign:

Gen Z and Millennials don’t just thrift out of necessity; they find joy in discovering unique pieces that reflect their individuality and nostalgia for past decades, particularly the 90s. This resonated with the thrill of playing the lottery, where the search for winning numbers mirrors the hunt for hidden treasures in a thrift store.

Thrifting over landfills. 60% of fast fashion is thrown out the year the pieces are produced. With sustainability important to the brand’s target, the thrifted pieces are keeping tonnes of clothes out of landfills each year.

Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to engage with brands that support causes they care about. By aligning Lotto Max with EcoEquitable, a local charity providing support with a dual purpose of textile waste reduction and women’s empowerment that intersect through the art of sewing, they could tap into their desire to give back and make a difference while driving participation.

Strategic planning also helped inform the campaign ecosystem, showing up in channels where their target spends time and connecting them through 4 campaign phases: from teasing the campaign, to getting them engaged about the drop, making a purchase, and reengaging the brand’s audience with their
second chance contest.

With 3500 upcycled numbers and 500 pieces of clothing, “Thrift Drop” was a success at evolving the brand’s platform, keeping clothing out of landfills, and also getting their target to play the lottery.

Perception saw a 25% increase in brand relevancy which is five times the brand’s objective, along with 95% positive or neutral sentiment. Participation experienced an 83% increase in first-time lottery play during the campaign period, more than three times their objective. Trial achieved a 94% redemption rate, nearly three times their objective. The campaign delivered 5.5 times earned media engagement, a 183% increase compared to their objective, and 90 million total impressions, 29% above their target.

The campaign was also successful in giving back to the community, raising $90,000 for EcoEquitable, a local charity supporting both textile waste reduction and women’s empowerment through the art of sewing.

Giving a new generation of players a chance to turn the thrill of thrifting into the thrill of winning.

Credits

Rochelle Menezes – Senior Marketing
Lindsay Magli – Senior Product
Melissa Finley – Director
Tyler Puley – Director, Marketing
Kim Clark – VP Lottery
Maxine Chapman – VP Brand & Marketing Officer
Georgina Terzis – Director, XM
Lily Ljubicic – Senior Manager, XM
Jenna LeBlanc – VP Communications
Anne Foam – Product Owner
Allison Elgersma – Marketing Manager
Natasha Da Silva – Marketing Manager
Kathleen Graver – Director, Communications
Melissa Yollick – Senior Communications
Jeff Bomben – Social Media
Klaudia Las – Social Media
Daryna Karatniuk - Senior Digital
Nancy Crimi-Lamanna - CCO
Jeremiah McNama - ECD
Cody Sabatine - ACD
Joseph Vernuccio - ACD
Sheryas CK - Art DIrector
An Trinh - Copywriter
Eli Ferrara - Creative Innovation
Shelley Brown - CSO
Allie Lochhead - Strategy Director
Cynthia Roach - VP, Client Service
Solo Gritskiv - GAD
Dayna Blustein - Account Director
Logan Thomlinson - Account Executive
Sarah Michener - VP, Broadcast
Tania Noble - Senior Producer
Ryan Bazeley, SVP, Integrated Media
Jen Yungblut, SVP, Client Experience
Deane Code, VP, Integrated Media
Natasha Martin, VP, Client Experience
Alex Wapia, Account Director, Platform Strategy
Nicole Brumley, Senior Media Relations
Tanny Chiu, Senior Media Relation
Elisabeth Cannatelli, Associate, Media Relations
Taya Lafontaine, Senior Media Relations
Husam Elzien, Intern
Gus Lopes, Strategist
Shipra Chauhan, VP, Strategic Planning
Brendan Watson, CD
Kat McGouran, Copywriter
Ian Kapasi – VP GAD
Joshua Dick – Senior Account Director
Olivia White – Account Manager
Amanda Fusco – Director of Production
Rachel Gaudet – Experiential Producer
Patrice Pollack – SVP, ECD
Paul De La Merced – ACD
Tyler O’Selmo – Art Director
Animesh Mathur - Copywriter
Cesar Vallejo – VP CD
Antonia Goga – VP XD
Cameron Harapiak – Senior Digital Designer
Helen Androlia – Director of Strategy
Rodrigo Coelho – SVP, MD