Mental Availability in action

When I was in The National Lottery in Ireland, we had huge market penetration and very high buying frequency. Like many FMCG brands, we had a mix of heavy and light buyers.

But there were growth opportunities. There were buying situations where we could win more. Gifting was one. Our research showed that we turn up for a certain type of gift. Specifically, when people have already decided to get a card, they think: “What would be a nice gift to put into the card?”

That's a Category Entry Point. A CEP.

Category Entry Points are the specific cues that trigger people to think about your category, and hopefully your brand. Not the broad category. They are more precise. More directional. Which is why I like them.

We worked with RedC, a top research agency, to identify our CEPs and focus our marketing efforts to grow them.

The previous ads were good. Funny, typical Lottery, everyday charm, good acting. But they weren't about gifting. They were awareness plays. Good, but not linked to the gifting CEP we'd uncovered in our research.

In the new campaign, every frame links the brand to the gifting occasion. Full credit to the wonderful Damien O'Donnell, the most talented film director I know. He even manages to get “tickets are limited” into the script without it feeling forced.

The results were both immediate and long lasting. For the first year in many, we sold out all tickets. So much so, we had to pull the advertising.

It wasn't a fluke. It continued to sell out every year. The campaign also won a bunch of effectiveness awards. When I left, my only parting advice was not to change this campaign until there's evidence it is no longer working.