Adam&EveDDB National Lottery ad toys with idea of losing winning ticket

Pockets is the latest spot from Adam&EveDDB and Cats director Tom Hooper for The National Lottery. As the title hints, it follows the story of a habitual Lotto player who keeps his ticket in the back pocket of his jeans. He is also prone to losing his ticket – a behaviour which sparks the decades-long love story at the centre of the spot.

The ad begins on the eve of the first ever National Lottery draw (9 November 1994), where we meet Edward and Isaac. Edward’s ticket falls out the back pocket of his jeans; Isaac picks it up. We then trace the couple’s relationship from the 1990s to the present day, seeing their relationship evolve over the years, with one constant remaining – Edward’s tendency to lose his ticket. Eventually, Edward’s numbers come up. There is a hairy moment as he scrabbles to find his missing winning ticket, before Isaac comes into the kitchen with the ticket in hand.

A release says the ad aims to celebrate the “tenacious” players who continue to play long-term. Adam&EveDDB collaborated with cultural research agency On Road for the film, “which ensured the accurate portrayal of gay men from the 1990s to the current day”, the release continues. The agency also worked with Smuggler on production and Framestore and Whitehouse Post on post.

A Christmas Love Story, the previous ad from Tom Hooper and Adam&EveDDB for the Lotto, followed two people meeting on a train. (One character writes their phone number on a National Lottery ticket, but the last few digits are smudged. The film traces the pair’s journey to find each other again.)

On Pockets, Ben Tollet, group executive creative director at Adam&EveDDB says: “The National Lottery is an iconic and loved part of British history and culture. Starting our film in 1994, at the first-ever draw, brought back all that excitement and gave us the inspiration to tell a poignant story of a player through the ages who never stopped believing.”