OOH Case Study

Illinois Problem How do you introduce a new technology to the marketplace?

Solution Use OOH to surround consumers with the product’s benefits and even test it for themselves.

Background How high does the or jackpot need to go to get consumers to play? The answer appeared to be very high, based on behaviour known as “jackpot fatigue.” Jackpot fatigue assumes that people are categorically unmotivated to play until the jackpot ex- ceeds $100 million. It was a behavior seemingly plaguing all Lottery states.

When a problem detection study was reviewed, the planning agency learned that jackpot fatigue is actually a myth. Consumers expressed interest to play at lower jackpots levels around $75 million, but they just didn’t act on this interest. This discrepancy was named the “apa- thy gap.”

The Lottery conducted a tracking study in 2011 which illus- trated awareness issues in jackpot communication and consumer re- sponse. Specifically, the state lagged in best practice jurisdictions with Mega Millions’ unaided awareness at 40% and Powerball at 25%. This was a troubling fact since Powerball and Mega Millions media blanketed the state. From placements on numerous outdoor billboards on major freeways throughout Illinois to drawings 4 times a week on local TV station WGN, the team believed that awareness should be high.

With low awareness figures perpetuating the “apathy gap,” the planning team faced a monumental challenge: addressing an enduring awareness problem to drive purchase intent.

Sources: Illinois Lottery Client-to-Agency Brief, November 2008; Sales, FY 2005 to 2010; IL Lottery Tracking Study, 2011; Sales /Jackpots Regression Illinois Mega Millions, June 2005–January 2008 and Agency/ISL Problem Detection Study, 2008

Objective People forget to play! That was one of the main reasons 34% of Illinoisans said they are playing the lottery less. This group rep- resented the desired target, the Light/Lapsed player. Reaching this massive audience was crucial to building awareness. While media vehicles supported both games, it became clear the messaging was not fully resonating with Light/Lapsed players. The prospect wanted to play but needed to be reminded in a timely manner throughout their day.

Sources: 2006 Illinois Lottery Segmentation; 2010 Simmons Winter NCS Adult Full Year Study

Strategy A traditional media experience wouldn’t be enough to reach this consumer. While high-profile, prominent-static bulletins would be the cornerstone of the campaign, the team needed the ability to communicate immediately to the target. The campaign Outdoor Advertising Association of America 1 needed to disrupt!

In order to breakthrough, the placements would have to reach the Light/ Lapsed player with a message that would resonate: the jackpot amount and the next drawing date. Leveraging the target’s connection to digital media, the planning team sought to intercept them multiple times throughout their day, with digital out of home formats that would do just that. Since jackpots are unpredictable – and the campaign only needed ads to run at predetermined jackpot levels -- the team developed a “trigger” approach, displaying messaging only when the jackpot was in a range in which the target expressed an interest to play: $75-$175 mil- lion.

The OOH strategy was comparable to how Illinois Lottery was leveraging online and other media, but with the added benefit of reaching consum- ers while they were out of home, providing both the impetus and the opportunity to react and purchase a lottery ticket. Utilizing high profile digital bulletins throughout the metro and CTA digital platform displays, Illinois Lottery was able to capture consumers and inform them of the current jackpot totals by updating the displays instantly via RSS feeds, which ensured the ads reported the correct jackpot and drawing date.

Plan Details Flighting Dates: July 18, 2011 - July 1, 2012 Budget: $500,000 and over

Markets and Out of Home Formats: 25 Static Bulletins served as the foundation of the Illinois Lottery’s presence in the market. The Trigger campaign’s OOH flight ran on one high-impact digital bulletin in each of the following markets: Rockford, Champaign, Peoria and East St. Louis between 7/18/11-6/30/12 and on Digital CTA platforms in 17 stations in Chi- cago from 8/15/11-7/1/12 with one 7.5 second ad appearing every 157 seconds. As the transit vendor rolled out new stations over the year, the campaign grew to include 20 stations.

Results According to Illinois Lottery’s tracking study, overall unaided ad awareness lifted from 40% to 50% for Mega Millions and from 25% to 35% for Powerball attributed to the “Trigger Campaign” which included Out of Home, TV, Radio and Online. When asked if seeing or hearing an ad caused purchase behaviour, player responses indicated increases in the following measures:

• Go to the store and buy a ticket – 41% to 46% for Mega Millions and 38% to 44% for Powerball • Buy a ticket while at the store –44% to 52% for Mega Millions and 42% to 49% for Powerball

While the team contracted for media to run when the jackpot was between $75MM and $175MM, media ran until the jackpot was hit, achieving media and continuing to drive sales and excitement until the lucky winner(s) hit. The flexibility and nimbleness of digital OOH allowed the Illinois Lottery to reach its target as the jackpots were building, driving awareness and ultimately results with significant lift in purchase intent. Future Illinois Lottery plans include additional digital OOH formats to build on the success of the trigger campaign.

Outdoor Advertising Association of America 2