tombola invite players to ‘open for fun’ in new campaign by Meanwhile.
tombola, the nation’s leading online bingo brand, has launched a new campaign titled ‘open for fun’, produced by Meanwhile.
The campaign begins with a 2 minute film, built around an original track written specifically for the brand by Stefan Abingdon and Ashley Horne (formerly of The Midnight Beast), performed by stand-up Jo Griffin and produced by Major Tom. The film itself was directed by Big Red Button through Blink, with sound design by Factory, and post production by Rascal.
The campaign debuts on ITV on Friday 6th September, and is the first collaboration between Meanwhile and tombola since the business went to pitch in March 2024. This marks a significant and exciting change in creative direction from previous campaigns for tombola in the fiercely competitive gambling market.
The launch film, which has also been made in 60, 30 and 10 second cut downs, follows Jo Griffin as she spontaneously performs the ‘open for fun’ song to people in moments of downtime which grow more and more surreal as we progress through the comedic spot.
Talking about the campaign, CCO at Meanwhile, Tim Jones said; “This is such an exciting point in the evolution of the brand, and it’s been a privilege to work so closely with the tombola team on this project. We set out to disrupt and change the market and I think we will. We have a clear direction and campaign vehicle, and these are exciting times for us all as we hope it becomes ingrained in popular culture.”
Dawn-Elizabeth Howe, Head of Brand and Planning at tombola added: “We are thrilled to see the ‘open for fun’ campaign launch, as it will enable us to create a real point of difference and showcase our brand’s originality in such a busy sector. The work is full of fun, fresh, and unexpected. Plus it comes with the added pleasure of a song you just won’t be able to get out of your head!”
A media and partnerships strategy across broadcast TV, VOD, OOH and audio plan from Essence Mediacom will bring the open for fun creative to life in those contextual moments when people reach for their phones to play.
Agency That-Lot, part of the Weber Shandwick Collective will work with tombola to deliver an integrated social content and earned media strategy to really get people talking about the new campaign.
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For further details, please contact James Cross on 07702 998780 or james@meanwhile.agency, or email tombola@thatlot.co.uk
About Meanwhile
Meanwhile was founded in 2022 by BAFTA-winning former BBC Creative directors James Cross and Tim Jones, along with former Chapter managing director, Al Marchant. The agency’s clients include tombola, TravelSupermarket, Chester Zoo, Iceland, Comic Relief, Coventry Building Society, Liverpool FC and Barnardo’s.
