Atlantic Lottery is turning to avian sports vernacular to raise awareness about illegal online gambling.
In a hero video narrated by a David Attenborough-esque voice, Boo Birds (not seagulls) chirp at folks who don’t use legal means to gamble.
Atlantic Lottery director of brand communications Molly Cormier says that while the organization has warned about the pitfalls of illegal online gambling and how it hurts communities before, it’s never done so to this extent and in such a mass way. Cormier tells strategy that the campaign is based on the insight that “there’s significant confusion and public awareness problem with Atlantic Canadians not knowing which operators have licenses and which ones don’t.”
The campaign also supports Canadian Lottery Coalition partners, Cormier explains, which includes the likes of BCLC and Loto-Quebec, both of which have similar campaigns in market.
It’s not about telling people what to do, Cormier stresses, it’s about being informed that Atlantic Lottery is the only legal option for this kind of gambling.
Unlike Atlantic Lottery, which is publicly owned, illegal online gambling sites aren’t accountable to governments. They therefore don’t reinvest revenue back into the region or prioritize responsible gambling and healthy play, the organization notes, also pointing out that black market sites pose financial crime, fraud and money laundering risk.
“Boo Birds” is the first campaign developed in partnership between The Ray Agency and Atlantic Lottery, both of which are based in Atlantic Canada. The campaign is running across Atlantic Canada on TV, social media, digital and podcast audio. All assets drive audiences to a “Boo Birds” campaign landing page.
The target is the 19-to-34 set, skewing male, for whom the idea of chirping and boo birds is familiar sports terminology.
The campaign launched this summer and the first flight will run for 10 weeks, followed by a second campaign flight in the fall. M5 is the media buy partner.