California Dreamin’

I’m at the local 7-11 buying my twice weekly Powerball tickets. My grandfather always said I was going to win the lottery and I believed him. Today I have good reason to buy a couple of $2 orange tickets because the jackpot is worth about $447 million dollars.

Yes, a boy can dream!

Speaking of dreaming…What makes a winning ad? In a today’s advertising world, nearly anything can be turned into an ad. It doesn’t seem to matter what’s in the ad—geckos, puppymonkeybabies, talking cows—there’s still nothing quite like a little gambling fantasy to to remind you of the fundamentals of great copywriting and art direction.

On my way to the 7-11 I heard the California Lottery Powerball Commercial on the car radio and it is magical, yet the “Snowfall” television spot is even better.

From the first strike of the piano keys, the commercial sends chills through your imagination cortex.

The commercial shows white lottery balls falling from the sky like snow. The lotto balls fall in some of California’s most famous landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, at the truck of the Sequoias, and Downtown Los Angeles. The balls fall in a swimming pool as a woman looks out the window, unsure of what she’s seeing. People everywhere are looking up at the sky, watching the “snowfall”. One man is standing in the pouring down lotto balls, when he holds out his hand and catches the red Powerball.

Yes, a boy can dream and sometimes dreams do come true.

The California Lottery wanted to go beyond showing the great things in life you can do with a lot of money, and focus instead of the possibility of winning the lottery — a 1 in 175,223,510 shot , according to the Powerball website.

But still, you can’t win without trying, and you won’t try unless you believe in something bigger than yourself. The Scala and Kolacny Brothers’ “California Dreamin'” cover sets the tone for this dreamy ad and the lyrics, perfectly composed by Mamas & Papas icons John Phillips and Michelle Phillips still conjure up the perfect image of a better life…