The National Lottery to launch new rebrand by Wolff Olins

Yesterday, National Lottery owners Camelot announced a new brand identity for the lottery and its portfolio of scratch cards and instant win games by international brand consultant Wolff Olins, which puts a redesigned version the iconic “Crossed fingers” at the heart of every game. The refresh is the next stage of a strategy the company has been adopting over the last 18 months to further underline its “Life Changing” purpose, and is a natural evolution of the “Play Makes It Possible” campaign, which has been running since last summer. The rollout of the new brand will begin in mid-July across all channels.

Camelot announced a new brand identity for The National Lottery and its portfolio of scratch cards and instant win games by Wolff Olins

Studies have shown that the crossed fingers logo, which was initially created by Saatchi & Saatchi Design back in 1994, is recognised by 95% of the UK adult population. Wisely, Wolff Olins have opted to not rock the boat too much with the redesign. The crossed fingers themselves remain largely unchanged, only they are now white instead of blue, and have been decorated with a spattering of light blue stars. The logo was last updated by Landor in 2002, when it was given a 3D makeover, so this is the first major update for the brand in 13 years!

The rollout of the new brand will begin in mid-July across all channels

The rebrand has been designed to help raise consumer awareness of the full range of games offered by The National Lottery, as well as reinforce the “Life-changing” roles each of them play in not only creating millionaires, but in delivering over £33 million every week to good causes across the UK. As part of the rebrand, The National Lottery’s online Instant Win Games and Scratch cards are also to be brought together under the a new “GameStore” brand across both digital and retail channels, making it easier for players to identify and play their favourite instant win games wherever they are. This streamlined approach to branding also hopes to help remind players that these games all fall under the National Lottery umbrella brand.

The National Lottery’s online Instant Win Games and Scratch cards are to be brought together under the umbrella “GameStore” brand

Sally Cowdry, Camelot’s marketing & consumer director, explained that the company already operates “Four of the biggest brands in the UK, but, like any major brand Camelot needs to evolve and innovate” to ensure it stays relevant and engaging in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace. She adds that “While most people know that Lotto is part of The National Lottery, many aren’t aware that EuroMillions and Instants are also National Lottery games and play a big role in raising massive sums of money for National Lottery-funded projects. This is important because research clearly shows that when people understand that these games contribute to National Lottery funding, they are more positive about the brand.” That’s why they developed the “Play Makes It Possible” campaign, which has started to link all the games together under the “Life Changing” communications strategy. The new look and feel, she says, is only one part of that strategy, but it “Signals a continued commitment to constantly adapting so that The National Lottery and its games remain fresh, relevant and appealing in the years ahead.”