A new advertisement launched by Ireland’s National Lottery has raised some questions about the creative path of the marketing industry.
In its latest ‘Keep Driving’ campaign, the lottery depicts two cash van drivers bantering about what they would do if they won the lottery, essentially driving off with the money at the back in the van.
The ad later reveals that the bold move will come with no repercussions, as it turns out that one of the guards has drawn a winning lottery ticket.
Sharp eyed individuals have noticed that the advertisement, courtesy of the Folks VLM marketing agency, has some striking similarities to the 2018 Lotto Powerball ad run by the New Zealand lottery.
It is not a case of copyright infringement, however, as both national lotteries are part of the World Lottery Association (WLA). The Irish lottery has therefore licensed the idea and adapted it to the Irish market.
For the Irish Times, Anne Mulcahy, Chief Marketing Officer of the Ireland National Lottery, commented: “We saw an opportunity to bring a strong idea to Irish audiences in a way that was locally produced, culturally relevant and aligned with our brand platform.”
Industry creatives raise questions
It seems, however, that the decision to go with an old idea instead of creating an original one has left some industry creatives baffled.
In particular, Ken Robertson – the former marketing lead for Paddy Power before moving on to found his own agency, The Tenth Man – expressed his worry about the message that is being conveyed to the rest of the sector.
“Brands hire creative agencies for one reason: ideas. Not production. Not process. Not project management. Ideas,” he said on LinkedIn.
“At some point, somebody has to say: “No. We can do better than that.” Because if we’re simply localising work that’s already been created elsewhere, what exactly are clients paying creative agencies for?”
Robertson warned that if this trend where creative agencies are told to ‘photocopy the future rather than creating it’ catches on – the creative industry risks losing top-tier talent as it stops being motivated.
“Part of the reason I started The Tenth Man was because I was becoming increasingly frustrated by agencies that felt built for a world that no longer existed. The future belongs to agencies that challenge convention, defend originality and have the courage to tell clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.”
Robertson closed off his remarks by urging an intervention from the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI), calling it to “stand up for the value of original creative thinking”.