Tim Burton-like Technique Breathes 'Life' into Lottery Tickets, Coins and Other Objects, Captures Consumer Experience
Riester Robb, the full-service advertising and public relations firm for the Arizona Lottery, will dramatically change the way consumers look at their Scratchers tickets and other familiar objects. A new stop-action animation television campaign transforms unexpected items into "characters" engaged in surprising behavior and captures the "suspense" of playing Scratchers.
Stop-action animation, propelled into the limelight by creative genius Tim Burton, rates high among consumers in the amusement factor. Though tedious and intricate — requiring animators to move each figure in the shot one frame at a time, 24 frames per second — this animation is pure entertainment and fun, making it a perfect fit for the Arizona Lottery.
"Effective creative delivery is a combination of connecting with the consumer at an intimate level, as well as providing entertainment and a reward to the viewer for taking the time to watch the commercial," said Tim Riester, president and CEO of Riester Robb. "Our creative team worked diligently over the last few months to nail these three elements, and we are delighted with the results. These new commercials will spike interest about the Lottery experience and alter the viewer's perspective on objects that are so common that they have become almost invisible."
John Hogg, director of marketing for the Arizona Lottery, says he challenged Riester Robb to stay true to the Lottery's overall brand platform, while replicating the consumer experience when they play Scratchers. "The Arizona Lottery's brand is about delivering fun and entertainment to our players," he said. "Our Scratchers players enjoy the 'suspense' of a cloaked new ticket and the physical act of scratching off the latex to reveal their winnings. These commercials capture these elements — the music, the selection of 'characters,' and the story settings all contribute to a swift delivery of the message, plus they're fun to watch!"
After agreeing upon the creative strategy and the stop-action animation technique, Riester Robb's immediate challenge was identifying the resources to produce the commercials in state. Stop-action animation is a specialized art form that is currently not readily available in Arizona. Ingenuity and persistence led Riester Robb to Harry Karidis, owner of Karidis Productions and an expert in stop-action animation; and Bob Giammarco of Audio Engine West — masters in state-of-the-art sound effects. Together with Riester Robb's creative team, the successful production of two 30-second television spots, "Shark" and "Bullfight," were completed on time and within budget in Arizona.
The objects featured in "Shark" and "Bullfight" are authentic, and the settings will resonate with the consumer. They are believable places where a Scratchers ticket and a coin would naturally "meet." "Shark" takes place on a restaurant table, and "Bullfight" takes place on an office desk. Both involve expected "characters," caught up in unexpected behavior, which is the element of surprise that will make these commercials the next topic around water coolers and among circles of friends.
In addition to the television spots, Riester Robb created radio and print ads to compliment the campaign. Reminiscent of origami art, the print ads project Scratchers tickets folded into three shapes — a car, a flower and a boat — with the coins placed nearby, ready to scratch. "This campaign is more about the experience of scratching the ticket than the ticket itself," said Tom Ortega, creative director for Riester Robb. "It demonstrates the pure fun of playing." Two radio spots — "Suspense" and "Drumroll" — offer listeners dramatic and suspenseful music in the first ad, and a repeating drumroll in the second, to mirror the anticipation of scratching the ticket.
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