Ontarians can now get a taste of the millionaire life with an exclusive ice cream bar. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and LOTTO MAX have partnered with Toronto-based artisanal ice cream shop, Creamery X, and food scientists to create LOTTO MAX Dream Bars, unexpectedly luxurious, one-of-a-kind ice cream flavored like things millionaires can afford such: Rare Oil Painting, Private Island, Designer Handbag and Grail Sneaker.
Under 35 Strategy
“LOTTO MAX Dream Bars is a continuation of our Under 35 strategy which first brought the award-winning LOTTO MAX Dream Drop campaign earlier this year,” explained Melissa Finley, Senior Product Manager, OLG. “We wanted to continue to interact with new customers through the things they love while encouraging them to dream. The objective of LOTTO MAX Dream Bars is to drive consideration with this younger demographic by leaning into their passion points. We knew this summer was going to be the return of big concerts and festivals so we wanted to be there to intercept their everyday moments and give them a ‘taste’ of winning big and while encouraging them to ‘Dream to the Max.’”
OLG targeted this demographic’s desire for unique food experiences to tap into their biggest dreams. “So, we created four one-of-kind LOTTO MAX Dream Bars in flavors never imagined before by partnering with Food Scientists at the University of Guelph and a local Toronto ice cream shop, Creamery X,” said Finley.
Every LOTTO MAX Dream Bar comes with a scannable QR code to redeem for one LOTTO MAX Free Play driving trial with new players.
“And much like Dream Drop, all proceeds from the sale of the LOTTO MAX Dream Bars are going to a local charity, Friends of Ruby,” said Finley. Friends of Ruby provides 2SLGBTQIA+ youth with a supportive community, drop-in services and programming, mental health counselling, case management, and housing.
In terms of the demographic target for the LOTTO MAX Dream Bar campaign, Finley said “we are trying to reach a younger demographic, 18-34 year olds.”
LOTTO MAX Activations
The limited-edition LOTTO MAX Dream Bars are available only at LOTTO MAX Dreamery pop-ups happening in select locations across the province.
OLG organized multiple LOTTO MAX Dream bar pop-ups throughout August and September. “Customers are loving the ice cream bars and are sharing their interactions and experiences to social media. Redemptions are also trending well at over 60% thus far (for first two weekend activations in Toronto and Muskoka),” said Finley.
OLG’s goal was to reach a new generation of players where they already are—scrolling on social media.
“Using a mix of social content, influencers, and blogs, we are reaching those who would be already consuming content about the events. We are promoting the activations through paid social, influencers, PR and a lengthy list of on-site activation experiences that run through to September 21st across much of southern Ontario,” said Finley.
“We learned from the LOTTO MAX Dream Drop campaign back in March that a physical presence naturally drew more attention and gave people the ability to experience our brand in-person in order to strengthen that brand connection. We think LOTTO MAX Dream Bars presents an opportunity to do this again, but we wanted to amp up the engagement by also making it a more sensory experience with extraordinary efforts we took to create the unique flavors in each Dream Bar,” she added.
OLG is now working on its next LOTTO MAX Dream Drop 2.0 campaign which will hit the market in early 2023. “Encouraging Ontarians to Dream to the Max will continue to be a long-term priority for OLG and LOTTO MAX. How we reach them may evolve as the unique interests of our audiences evolve – whether that’s clothing or ice cream or something new but having consistency in launching these types of programs to a younger audience will continue next fiscal,” said Finley.
Dream Bar Flavor Research
To develop each delicious yet unique LOTTO MAX Dream Bar flavor, OLG and Creamery X worked with leading food scientists at the University of Guelph to identify the exact flavor notes of each “dream item” and choose precise ingredients to map those flavors:
- The Rare Oil Painting flavor tastes like a modern masterpiece that incorporates olive oil, fresh mid-tannins and a hint of oil paint;
- The Private Island flavor includes delicious notes of seawater: salty, sandy and fresh with Pacific Ocean Konbu seaweed, rounded out with lingering hints of lychee and orange blossom, giving the taste of owning your own tropical island;
- The Designer Handbag tastes like rich leather, tannins of smoky notes throughout and finishes with a vibrant floral note which one can find at designer boutiques;
- The Grail Sneaker flavor has a distinct, fresh-out-of-the-box sneaker taste with hints of chocolate and even rubber.
The LOTTO MAX Dream Bars cost C$5 and include a scannable LOTTO MAX free play code.