Playing off of the common phrase “you do you,” Ontario Lottery and Gaming is positioning its website with the campaign, “You Play You.”
Created with agency partner, The Hive, “You Play You,” sends up gaudy, abrasive online casino ad conventions, before breaking from these conventions and cutting to people interfacing with games quietly on their own terms in different everyday scenarios – for example, a guy taking a break in a laundromat and a woman reclining in her living room.
“In a market saturated with 65+ brands competing in the online casino space, we recognized the need for a fresh perspective,” says Maxine Chapman, VP of brand and marketing at OLG. Chapman explains that “You Play You” aims to stand out by being more easy-going and far less flamboyant in its approach to the category.
The hero spot launched regionally this week and will run in 30-, 15- and six-second versions across traditional television, OLV and social media, alongside a multi-pronged OOH and digital campaign.
“It’s Ontario only and it’s a predominantly digital plan with a decent OOH investment and some fun social executions,” says Dustin Rideout, chief strategy officer and partner at The Hive.
Rideout tells strategy OLG is targeting the under-35 set who play wagering games online.
Like other brands, OLG is trying to connect with the under-35 population in ways the demographic will be receptive to. The new campaign follows OLG’s work this summer to differentiate its “Cash For Life” instant lottery with a “thousandaire” flex, embracing more everyday lifestyle benefits that younger millennials could relate to, rather than bigger prizes. Also, to connect with a younger target, OLG tapped Canadian EDM duo, Loud Luxury and singer songwriter Preston Pablo to rework its famous “winner, gagnant” Win Tone, while taking it out of corner stores and incorporating the earworm into an XM play via a tour bus and a speaker.
