The first six months of 2022 saw National Lottery’s sales soar past £4bn for the first time ever. Camelot, the long-standing operator of the National Lottery declared the brand to be in the “best-ever shape”.
According to this article in Marketing Week, “In its half year report, Camelot highlights the role its ongoing work to drive “relevance, positivity and participation through a strong and healthy brand” has played in delivering its record results. Encouraging people to “play a little” has allowed The National Lottery to remain “resilient” amid inflation and the cost of living crisis, the business says”.
We might consider that the National Lottery has mastered its online brand reputation management to see such success, in spite of nationwide financial difficulties.
What constitutes a strong brand identity
Having a strong brand identity is necessary if you want to be seen as a reliable and trusted option by potential customers; and in our ever-growing world of social media, the need for your own online brand reputation management has never been greater.
A reliable and trusted brand has many qualities, included but not limited to: a strong purpose and mission, clear values that detail what is most important to them and their brand, an emotive story, consistency with their visuals, their message and their visibility, and great case studies and client testimonials.
These factors combined contribute to your online brand reputation management by building connections with your audience, and ensuring you attract a loyal audience to your brand.
Earlier this year, Camelot strengthened its brand visibility by investing into a number of major marketing initiatives to boost their brand image and reputation, including The National Lottery’s Big Jubilee Street Party at Manchester’s AO Arena in June and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and UEFA Women’s Euros 2022, including a special one-off gig for National Lottery players.
This additional visibility meant The National Lottery remained front of mind at key national events and continued “to strengthen the connection between playing National Lottery games and the difference that makes to Good Causes, while helping to drive sales,” the business says”.
Creating a responsible brand image
Camelot, the sole operator of The National Lottery since its launch in 1994, has truly built a business that sets it apart. They show great care and responsibility for ensuring the wellbeing of lottery winners, as well as running their Good Causes initiatives which gives back to the community.
According to Camelot’s website “Our strategy for long-term, responsible growth is based on offering players a balanced and appealing range of National Lottery games that offers something for everyone, and making our games as accessible as possible so that people can play anytime, anywhere and on any device. This approach has seen total National Lottery sales grow by 57% over the course of our third National Lottery licence”.
There are two things we can learn here. Firstly, Camelot is inclusive. By offering something for everyone, they’re appealing to a wider audience and ensuring that everyone who wants to associate with their brand can. Secondly, Camelot offers accessibility. They make it easy for people to engage with their brand. Breaking down barriers to playing is a simple yet highly effective tool to increase uptake. These two learnings may show us how Camelot’s online brand reputation management has contributed greatly to its success.
On top of that, they’re responsible, with a core focus on “healthy play – encouraging lots of people to play but to only spend relatively small amounts individually”. Unlike other gambling companies that encourage consumer spending to maximise profits, Camelot shows care to its consumers through its positive online brand reputation management, which in turn builds trust and strengthens connections with their wider audience
According to this article, Camelot Chairman, Sir Hugh Robertson, welcomed the results: “I am delighted that these record results show that The National Lottery is returning more to Good Causes than ever before. In this hugely testing economic period, I am proud that my team’s remarkable performance builds on previous years of record ticket sales and returns to Good Causes”.
As a gambling company, which many people associate negatively, Camelot has created a strong brand image through positive online brand reputation management, by focussing on what they return to society via their Good Causes initiatives. The more money the general public spends on tickets, the more money Camelot is able to put back into society.
In essence, show your audience and potential customers how your services are going to benefit them and their lives. Create positive PR and a solid visibility plan that ensures you get your name in front of a wider audience through strategic online brand reputation management.