They sound just like talk-radio call-in confessions, complete with the muffles of people holding phones too close to their mouths. But the three spots that are now running on more than 50 radio stations throughout Quebec are another ingenious campaign by Montreal’s Sid Lee.

The client is Loto-Québec’s Lotto 6/49, a fact listeners realize only when they hear the organization’s signature message at the end of each of three 30-second spots: ‘Always be nice to the people who play.’ Until that point, the radio messages – which are faithful adaptations of the musical style and tone of Quebec’s main stations – sound exactly like what’s usually heard on call-in shows.

Media planning for the French- and English-language Lotto 6/49 spots, which will run until the end of the year, was done by Montreal’s Touché PHD, while buys were handled by Carat Canada’s Montreal office.