To support the launch, Camelot has struck partnerships with the UK's leading portals: MSN, Yahoo! and AOL. The portals will develop dedicated lottery channels through which customers will be able to buy lottery tickets.
Lotto Online forms the main prong of Camelot's £45m new media strategy and enables players to choose numbers and buy tickets online in advance of the weekly draws. Its success is vital to the National Lottery's long-term future.
The online campaign will run over the next few months, with banners and buttons featuring on the UK's busiest web sites, including NTL, Freeserve and Tiscali.
"We are aiming to hit 90% of the UK's online audience twice a week for a three-month period. We are everywhere on the high street so it makes sense for us to be everywhere online," said Richard Hurd-Wood, director of interactive for Camelot.
Lotto Online is initially being targeted at those aged 20 to 35, with all marketing activity emphasising the convenience of the service. "Now you can't lose a ticket and will also be told via email when you win," added Hurd-Wood.
The bulk of marketing for the service will be online, but Camelot is not ruling out above-the-line activity later in the year. Consumers will be alerted to the online service by voiceovers in future TV ads promoting either a rollover or the Daily Play draw.
Additionally, this week Camelot launched its first TV ads for the web-based syndicate manager tool. Devised by digital agency Arnold Interactive, the tool enables syndicates to keep up to date on who has paid what and record winning numbers.
.jpg)
.jpg)