Carmanah Signs Delivers Digital Menu Boards For OLG Pilot Test

Ontario Lottery & Gaming (OLG) is piloting a test with Digital Menu Boards at 50 lottery retailers in the Greater Toronto Area. The Digital Signage network is designed and operated by Carmanah Signs, a subsidiary of STRATACACHE.

STRATACACHE, the largest Digital Signage company in the world, also supplies Digital Menu Boards to customers such as McDonald’s USA and Walmart. “Carmanah has been able to provide tremendous support with the rollout and installation of the Digital Menu Boards,” said Michael McKerracher, Brand Manager, Retail Marketing, OLG.

The Digital Menu Boards are being tested at convenience stores, gas, and dedicated lottery channels. “We will be rolling out to chain convenience as part of the pilot,” said McKerracher.

OLG has deployed 55” commercial grade displays across their retail partners for the pilot project. The displays feature a thin screen and are built specifically for the retail environment. The Digital Menu Boards are being tested behind the counter so consumers can view what is offered in the store while they wait in line. Each Digital Menu Board is consists of two side-by-side 55” screens.

“Both draw games and instant games are promoted on the Digital Menu Boards,” said Maxwell Goldstein, VP Sales, Carmanah Signs. “Content is laid out to promote different lottery products in specific areas of the display. Motion graphics are designed by us (Carmanah Signs). Key messaging is readable at a glance.”

For example, OLG will feature the launch of new scratcher tickets. “We can animate instant ticket art to beautifully highlight specific tickets,” said Goldstein.

Jackpot awareness is also key. “When the jackpot is over $50 million (which in Canada is a big jackpot), it will trigger a full takeover of the screen for jackpot awareness advertising,” said Goldstein.

There is a scientific approach to “laying out” the screen to feature a variety of featured products, typical of the planograms used at convenience stores and grocery stores to maximize product profitability. “The layout of content, including animations, videos, and hyperlocal advertising, is very important,” said Goldstein.

“We continue to develop and implement best practices from our large scale Digital Signage implementations around the world,” said Goldstein. “The content can’t be overwhelming. There is a judicious use of animation, with content optimized for dwell time and desired results.”