Don’t worry, even if they’re having an awful day, a GRUMPY CAT® instant game can bring a smile to anyone’s face—lottery player or not. It’s undeniable. Just ask Scientific Games EVP & General Manager of Licensing Kyle Rogers.
He first met GRUMPY CAT—yes, there is a real live GRUMPY CAT—a few years ago at an international licensing show when he noticed an unending line of people wrapping around the convention center, waiting to meet her in person. She got his attention with one blue-eyed, grouchy glance.
Rogers quickly determined that GRUMPY CAT was just the brand to cross over consumers of all demographics, languages and life experiences, and possibly infuse some fun into lottery $1 and $2 instant games.
GRUMPY CAT, now six years old, rose to rapid fame from a family’s social media meme and is now an internationally-recognized brand with millions of followers and 1.5 million website visitors a month. So how is she bringing her trademark ‘fun’ to instants?
Rogers says, “It’s nice to have a brand that can cut through the clutter at retail. GRUMPY CAT is a fun, easy brand that appeals to anyone who loves cats, anyone who is having a bad day, or really anyone with a sense of humor. This is a brand with very little risk and a lot of potential for a lottery.”
The creative team at Scientific Games incorporated the brand into simple, instant game playstyles that would be enjoyed by core players and easily understood by new players. Beyond serving up a daily dose of fun, Rogers believes that GRUMPY CAT–themed games are also purr-fect for holiday gifts.
The Minnesota Lottery’s product team agreed. In the fall of 2018, the Lottery was the first to launch a GRUMPY CAT game. They went big, with a great marketing campaign and a ticketed event at Mall of America in Minneapolis that had 500 people waiting in line to meet the cat of the moment in person. Hundreds more snapped pics from the mall’s multi-tiered area surrounding the event.
The promotion was so entertaining and successful, a local Minnesota television station ran a three and a half minute segment on the event.
Minnesota Lottery Director Executive Director Robert A. Doty, said, “GRUMPY CAT is a celebrity/brand that is very appealing to cat lovers and social media fans. This ticket was the perfect fit for our fall schedule, and the response from players has been nothing but positive.”
Featuring the sourpuss, furry-pawed cat herself, Minnesota Lottery’s GRUMPY CAT games have produced some happy results by both the Lottery and Scientific Games’ performance indexes.
And while the brand visuals invoke instant smiles for pretty much everyone, a number of U.S. and Canadian lotteries are taking a serious look at adding it to their 2019 instant products.
