Challenge

The California Lottery wanted to shift perception from being just about jackpots and luck to highlighting its deeper purpose — supporting public education. Each year, the Lottery contributes over $1 billion to California schools, but few residents knew about it. Our task: create a campaign that celebrated teachers and education, not ticket sales, and inspired Californians to feel proud of playing.

Insight

Everyone remembers a teacher who changed their life. We realized that the most powerful way to show the Lottery’s impact on education wasn’t through statistics — it was through human stories of gratitude and transformation. By reframing the message from funding to feeling, we could connect emotionally with audiences and remind them where that billion dollars really goes.

Idea

We launched “Back to the Start”, a school-year-long campaign that invited Californians to publicly recognize the educators who shaped them. The initiative combined emotional storytelling with community participation through:

- A documentary film series featuring three California-born celebrities returning to thank the teachers who changed their lives.

- A social and influencer campaign encouraging others to share their own #ThankATeacher stories.

- Bite-sized microcontent designed for sharing across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter throughout the academic year.

The work reminded Californians that every Lottery ticket helps empower the next generation of teachers and students.

Impact

The campaign delivered a 10% lift in brand awareness and favorability, as recognized by Meta’s Business Success Stories. It also earned widespread coverage from outlets including Pitchfork, People, HuffPost, and Fox Sports, and strengthened the California Lottery’s reputation as a champion of education and community good.