case study: maryland lottery
Challenger Brand Issue: Reverse flat/declining sales for a 25-year underperforming and mature State Lottery
With gaming competition increasing from every angle (casinos, on-line gaming, slot machine parlors, neighboring state lotteries, etc.) and sales waning, the $1.5 billion Maryland Lottery needed to freshen up its image and re-position how it presents itself.
Moreover, an aging player base and tired product offerings did little to appeal to the next generation of Lottery players who were being wowed by alternate gaming options. This so-called “emerging market” of 18-34 year-olds was critical to the long-term health of the Lottery in Maryland.
Insights
The reality with Lotteries is that the vast majority of players never experience a big win – and by those standards, they do not have a successful outcome with the product they buy. Over time, the non-winning experiences keep mounting, and even those with tremendous sense of luck and hope can lose interest in Lottery games.
While the Lottery could not promise a win, it could promise fun, and entertainment. The act of playing a Lottery game itself – whether scratching an instant win ticket or picking your favorite numbers – can be a fun, inexpensive diversion in the day in and of itself.
The Maryland Lottery was the first Lottery in the U.S. to re-position itself as a purveyor of fun, not simply as the home of unrealistic dreams of winning yachts, mansions and trips around the world.
Challenger Brand Behavior: Symbol of Re-evaluation
gkv staff helped to change the way the public viewed the Maryland Lottery. From a new theme line “Let Yourself Play” (which replaced “It Could Be You,” because the truth is that it probably won’t be), to all new omnipresent Point-of-Sale, to advertising that never talked about the spoils of winning, the Maryland Lottery transformed its core message.
Specific executions aimed at the emerging market including “cow tipping” where cows turned the tables on college kids and “Chinese restaurant” where the waiters spike fortune cookies with individualized messages. These communications were designed to associate the Maryland Lottery with small moments of fun one can have throughout the day.
Results
The Maryland Lottery is currently experiencing seven consecutive years of record sales. Eleven other states have followed Maryland’s lead to highlight the fun of playing over promises of winning big. Further surveys show specific shifts in attitude to those who say the Maryland Lottery is fun to play even if you don’t win.