Claudia Winkleman. Love her or loathe her, it is certainly not easy to miss her, from The Great British Sewing Bee to The Piano and Strictly Come Dancing to The Traitors, she has been all over the telly for years.
And, here she is again, only in a slightly different guise as ambassador-in-chief for the National Lottery, in a new campaign which aims to show that, wherever you are in the UK, you are connected to the many good causes that the Lottery supports.
“Because of You” has been created by The Gate Films and directed by Emmy award-winner Leo McCrea amd comprises a series of short films designed to bring to life the inspiring stories behind the projects that can change lives. In fact, the Lottery donates £30m a week to over 660,000 unique projects.
Throughout the series, Winkleman will travel up and down the UK, meeting Lottery players and showing them exactly how the help to fund a raft of initiatives – from farms and the arts to epic community projects that help local areas thrive.
This “journey” starts at Bloom, a community flower garden for women and non-binary people in Sheffield. The project, which has received £269,000 in funding over the past four years, allows hundreds of individuals each week to escape the daily grind for mental and physical wellbeing, as well as company, at a special allotment.
A new project on the tour will be revealed each month, from a wheelchair rugby club in Wales to a farm supporting disabled people in Northern Ireland.
Each film is complemented by a suite of social first assets, including a peek into some of Winkleman’s highlights while filming. The content will be live across social channels, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. The campaign runs as a seven-part series across cinema, online video, YouTube and social.
The Gate Films executive producer Rhiannon Lewis said: “Pulling this campaign together was a huge but joyful challenge. Filming across six days, in every corner of the UK, with multiple crews, contributors and locations. It was a true logistical feat that only works when you’ve got the very best team behind you, and I couldn’t be prouder of ours.
“Every department, from production to post, brought extraordinary commitment, care and creativity to ensure each good cause’s story was told with authenticity and warmth. Projects of this scale remind me why I love what we do. It’s about people, collaboration and telling stories that matter.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, to be fair, we love a bit of Claudia and, although we have only seen the first film so far, this series promises to spotlight how the Lottery can help, even though it also exposes how much this country relies on outside funding to run so many groups and initiatives.
Considering the misery many big Lottery winners see to go through, it’s good to see that at least some good comes out of it, too.
Decision Marketing Adometer: An “It Could Be You” 8 out of 10
