RNIB’s Mr Pound successfully focused on a perceived point of difference

 

10 years later, surely it’s time for a shake up with Charity Lotteries.

 
 

Mr Pound effectively gave RNIB a perceived point of difference when we introduced the first RNIB Lottery ad… but the charity lottery products have become very much the same: time for a shake-up?

You may recall that the National Lottery used to be a £1 per entry but entry fees went from £1 to £2 and they changed the prize structure – both with the value of top prize & the lowest level prize doubling.

We had picked up on some concern from National Lottery players about the rise in doubling the entry cost. So, we decided to leverage the cost difference between Lotto entry and RNIB entry cost… after all, the entry cost for RNIB’s Lottery was still at £1.

And so, Mr Pound was born as the lead character.  We created the context of a game show, something that is rooted deeply in UK TV culture... to give Mr Pound the platform to introduce both the prizes and the benefits derived by RNIB from entries.

Now, whilst there were a couple of other charity lotteries around then (not least Macmillan) whose entry costs were also £1, no-one was focusing on this as a point of difference. Commercial experience has shown it is best to have not only cut through on advertising execution but also to have a product USP/benefit (more on this later); and if you don’t have one, then at least try to “own” that generic space.

As a result, and together with DTV Optimise’s excellent call centre performance for RNIB, Mr Pound was a success.

Charity lotteries have evolved a little bit… but not that much in the last 10-15 years. There has been a shift to dramatising what it feels like to win, rather than just focus on what the winnings can be spent on. But the main elements of charity lotteries messaging has remained more or less the same:

  • £1 entries

  • number of weekly winners

  • weekly prizes

  • large quarterly draws

So, surely after 15 years of lots of new lotteries coming to market, it is time for someone to shake up the product and messaging construct… to create a true point of difference and attract “players” who are closer to the cause and less likely to defect:

  • We know through research that most will align themselves to a lottery where there is a pre-disposition to the cause … focusing on the cause/beneficiary of lottery money has worked well in the digital space – anyone brave enough to take that onto TV?

  • Look for insight/learnings further afield: US State Lotteries tend to be completely different in both their prize structures and theming (one even focused on art/music prizes at its core)

  • One Australian lottery included a gift (a calendar promoting the cause) as part of the offer

It feels like charities need to look at linking their lottery product/prizes/freebies closer to the cause… and digital platforms provide a great testbed for innovation tests.

Advertising execution is important and can make a difference … but a different prize/messaging offer that engages the heart (and not just the head) could provide a charity with a stronger point of difference.

In the words of the National Lottery original message … it could be you.

 

Bio

Chris is part of the Creative Strategy Team here at DTV Group. He has worked across all genres of charities (and many different countries) … from insight generation for individual campaigns to wider product and fundraising proposition and creative territory development. You can see from the photo, he’s been doing it a while!

 
Debora Montesoro