Fuseideas, the independent “Challenger Champion” advertising agency has put an innovative new TV spot under the tree for the Maine Lottery, creating, producing and starring in a commercial playfully depicting an office “Yankee Swap” celebration. Lottery tickets are a perfect stocking-stuffer for adults and the Maine Lottery wanted to spread the word. Doing a live-action spot seemed out of reach, but Fuseideas jumped at the chance to solve the challenge. The agency’s Portland, Maine, office led the charge with many of the agency’s staff joining in.
The concept is storytelling that everyone can relate to, with human interaction that is genuine and funny. To save money, the spot was shot in the offices of a neighboring law office conference room, and agency staff portrayed the Yankee Swap participants. Set to a familiar Holiday score that increases in tempo to match the action, the end result is to spotlight the idea of Maine Lottery tickets as fun Holiday gifts.
The Fuseideas team told DIVERGE the details of the ad:
Where did the idea come from?
Scratch tickets are always a big hit at the Yankee Swap and there’s nothing worse than having them and losing them (for something far less desirable). So we took that basic truth and added a little office drama to the mix.
How long did it take to launch?
From initial concept to finished spot was roughly a month. The timeline was tight but we were confident we could deliver.
Why was it significant?
We were able to take a limited budget and produce it in-house to create something far beyond what could normally be done at that price. It was a very limited budget.
What kind of feedback did you receive from it?
We’ve received lots of positive feedback both professionally and personally, as most of us can relate to that exact same situation. It’s fun and quirky and people like that around the holidays.
Additional thoughts?
All the “actors” in the spot are actually agency employees and the “location” is the conference room from the lawyer’s office next door.
