Content area
Full Text
When the Lottery launched in 1994, the battle was on for Littlewoods Pools. Using ads created by DMB&B, the company set about refocusing on football to distance itself from its Camelot counterpart. The FA Premier League's Steve Curnow (right) reviews the strategy
When the National Lottery launched in November 1994, many predicted that Littlewoods Pools would die.
The odds were firmly stacked against it. Betting duty on the Lottery was 17 per cent; on Littlewoods it was 35 per cent. The Lottery had ubiquitous distribution; by law Littlewoods had a restricted retail presence. The Lottery was launched with a multimillion pound ad spend while Littlewoods had never been allowed to advertise on TV.
Littlewoods' foundations were under siege. Its "dream" positioning had been smashed and grabbed: "Forget about being a millionaire, how about becoming a multi-millionaire?" The brand looked out...