How a Classroom Test Became a Legendary Story
Some stories left audiences with a smile that lasted far beyond the ad break. They were built on familiar moments, then twisted with surprise, humour, and insight. In 1999, Lotto Instant Kiwi created one such story. Their “Exam” commercial transformed a tense classroom into a lesson about chance, boldness, and the unexpected turns of fortune. It became an ad that viewers remembered, quoted, and even films later drew inspiration from.
The film opened in a quiet exam hall. Dozens of students sat in neat rows, eyes locked on their papers. The pressure of silence weighed heavily, broken only by the sound of scribbling pens. The camera then found its hero—an anxious student, struggling to fill the page. Every gesture revealed his panic: the tapping pen, the nervous glances, the desperate search for answers beyond his own sheet.
Then came the twist. Instead of surrendering to failure, he decided to gamble. His method was outrageous yet austere: copy answers from a fellow student with complete boldness. The act carried risk, tension, and comedy in equal measure. In that moment, the ordinary exam hall became a metaphor for taking chances—the very spirit of Lotto Instant Kiwi.
Directed by Tony Williams and produced by Maggie Lewis through Auckland Film Company, the commercial starred Daniel Gillies, who brought charm and mischief to the role. Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand crafted it under the “Give it a Go” campaign, ensuring that the ad lived beyond a simple sales pitch. Every frame delivered drama, humour, and a wink of relatability that viewers carried into conversations.
The brilliance of the “Exam” ad lay in its simplicity. It used an environment everyone knew—a school test—and flipped it into a bold statement about risk. It showed that advertising did not need lavish sets or complex narratives to stand out. Instead, it relied on timing, performance, and a clear message: fortune favoured those who dared.
The campaign proved that storytelling in advertising worked best when it tapped into human truth. Anxiety before an exam, the temptation to cheat, the thrill of taking a chance—all of these emotions belonged to everyday life. By framing them through the lens of Lotto Instant Kiwi, the brand built a bridge between humour and aspiration.
The 1999 “Exam” commercial for Lotto Instant Kiwi stood as more than an ad; it became a piece of cultural memory. It entertained audiences, inspired creators, and left a lasting lesson in creativity. By blending humour, tension, and humanity, it turned a classroom into a parable of chance.
More than two decades later, “Exam” continued to remind the world that the boldest ideas often came from the simplest of places. And just like buying a lottery ticket, advertising succeeded when it dared to take a risk.