Who: Loto-Québec Casinos, with Cossette for strategy and creative, Les Enfants for production, MELS and Cult Nation for post-production. Media by Cossette Media.

What: “We’re All Play,” a new brand platform showcasing the casinos’ offerings that takes it stylistic cues from the worlds of fashion and film.

When & Where: The campaign launched earlier this month, running across TV, digital signage, online and social media content. There are also in-casino activations.

Why: Cossette says the campaign is designed to showcase the offerings of Loto-Québec’s four casinos, from games to restaurants, shows, bars and dance floors. Loto-Québec’s casino and gaming hall business bounced back well from the pandemic, with revenues increasing 96.9% to $657.2 million in fiscal 2021-22, but it also faces a new challenger in the Wôlinak Abenaki First Nation’s Grand Royal Wôlinak Casino, which opened earlier this year.

How: The campaign is led by a high-energy 60-second spot directed by Ivan Grbovic, whose 2021 film Drunken Birds was selected as the Canadian entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The dialogue-free spot follows three “larger-than-life” characters as they make their way to one of Loto-Québec’s four casinos.

There’s a debonair spy-type character who parachutes in amid a fireworks explosion, a super-stylish older woman who arrives in a vintage Shelby Cobra, and a young office worker who casts off her sensible work attire for a shimmery gown. The spot shows the characters all enjoying “play” in its various guises, from roulette to live performances and dancing. There’s also a tiger on a bar, because why not.

And we quote: “‘We’re All Play’ is more than a tagline—it’s a state of mind, promising to satisfy your thirst for fun. It’s also an extremely fertile and flexible creative territory for our brand—it allows us to tailor our communications initiatives to our latest offers.” — Jean-Michel Guay Dagenais, director of communications, Loto-Québec