The D.C. Lottery challenges players to “Look as Fabulous as you Feel!” with its new die-cut purse scratcher.
The retro POS resembles a print ad torn out of a 1960s Vogue Magazine layout featuring elegant women displaying their designer handbags at a bistro in Paris.
“We like to push the boundaries of what we can do with our instant tickets,” asserted John Gorman, Director of Marketing, D.C. Lottery. “It wasn’t just that we wanted to launch any old handbag-themed scratcher. What we were really interested in was the die-cut approach, making it actually look like a handbag, even down to the perforated handle. The marketing goal was to appeal to the fashionable women of D.C. with a product that we think will break through the clutter and get their attention. It’s the definition of a marketing gimmick and one that we are using to try to make in-roads with a younger demo in D.C. that may not currently be interested in lottery or even notice our products.”
Scientific Games printed the perforated die-cut ticket, which sells for $2. Sales began May 10.
To promote the handbag ticket, the lottery will sponsor a series of handbag happy hours around the town.
For example, the D.C. Lottery ran a lunch hour promotion during the launch week. “The Union Station Special Promotion-TODAY ONLY!!” required players to purchase four $2 D.C. Lottery Handbag tickets to get a lottery swag item as a gift. The lottery sold $510 in Handbag Scratch tickets. This included $310 at the D.C. Lottery Store and $200 downstairs at the Union Wine and Liquors retailers.
Influencer Marketing
The D.C. Lottery will rely on influencer marketing techniques to reach non-players. The lottery is partnering with Yanique Moore, a young local fashion designer. Her brand, OLLIE QUINN, features some innovative design approaches to handbags.
“Her line of bags has national distribution and is on sale here in D.C. at Lord & Taylor. Agnes Moss, our Chief of Communications & Public Relations, reached out to her to pitch this opportunity to work together,” he said. “Yanique is excited to have the opportunity to leverage the D.C. Lottery’s marketing assets to further promote her brand while we are very excited to be able to introduce the lottery to her followers. D.C. is a rapidly changing city and working with someone like Yanique allows us to tap into the energy and creative vitality that is such an important part of this city today.”
With Yanique, the D.C. Lottery has the opportunity to feature a face, a name, a brand, in a manner that will complement the marketing efforts of the handbag ticket launch. “Yanique will be appearing at our handbag happy hour events and will even be participating in live on-air interviews and contests with our radio partners. And we will both be reaching out to new audiences through our respective social media platforms,” Gorman added.
The ticket’s second-chance component involves a series of monthly drawings in which the D.C. Lottery will be giving away designer handbags and money.
“In addition to the OLLIE QUINN bags that we will offer as prizes, we will also be giving away Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and other brand name bags,” said Gorman. “We’re also running a Facebook contest in which players have a chance to guess the value of the bag. We are giving away an exclusive OLLIE QUINN bag filled with goodies. The player who comes closest to guessing the value of the bag and its contents wins the bag and everything in it.”