Dutch State Lottery’s lucky in love

The Dutch State Lottery’s campaign for its New Year’s Eve Draw 2023 tells the story of a young man who doesn’t let his happiness depend on a big cash prize. 

Created by TBWA/Neboko Amsterdam and directed by Ismael ten Heuvel through pinkrabbit, the 105-second spot sees a young man enter a strange antique shop - a la Gremlins - and stumble across an odd contraption which turns out to be a time machine. He is then transported into the future, to 2078, where he is an old man seemingly married to an equally elderly but chic woman.

He then passes through time on various occasions, in each instance getting closer to the present and glimpsing elements of his life, always accompanied by his loving wife. On this journey through time, he discovers what really matters in life, which helps him make an important decisions when, back in the present, he must choose between the lottery ticket he just bought, or love. 

“Every year we try to touch the hearts of the audience with a moving story," said Michael Kastelijns, Business Director at Dutch State Lottery. "A story that tells the message that winning 30 million is an amazing prize, but it comes second best to the love of those we surround ourselves with [and] that there are more important things to life than winning the lottery. After all, you hold your happiness in your own hands and what could be better than sharing that with someone you love? That’s the chord we want to strike among people this year.”