The Lottery’s ‘‘Play FLA USA’’ Scratch-Off Game- 123docz.net

9.3 Quick to the Draw: The VISIT FLORIDA TM

9.3.2 The Lottery’s ‘‘Play FLA USA’’ Scratch-Off Game

Enter the Florida Lottery’s Play FLA USA game with its $5 million advertising campaign exclusively targeted inside Florida. It, along with the VISIT FLORIDATMadvertising blitz outside the state, afforded the perfect 1-2 punch in the state’s fight to reinvigorate a badly battered sector of the economy.

Figure 9.3 Visit Florida $20 million Economic Stimulus Recovery Program advertising: total spending. Source: Fahlgren Benito Advertising for VISIT FLORIDA.

Why a scratch-off game? For two primary reasons. First, such a format produces an instant winner. Second, the games have gained in popularity across all states with lotteries — both with the public and with government officials looking for more revenue (Miller and Morey, 2003:121).

9.3.2.1 Timing

The Lottery created the Play FLA USA $2 scratch-off game which ran from January 22 to March 22, 2002. January is generally a good launch date for new games. Residents are likely to pay attention to new ads after being inundated with repetitious sales ads during the Christmas/New Year holiday season. Consequently, new scratch-off sales historically spurt in February and March when advertising takes off . . .and more seasonal visitors arrive and play. (Lottery research shows that 29% of Florida’s seasonal residents play scratch-off games, just slightly fewer than 31% of year-round residents.12 There is no breakdown for the proportion of tourists that play).

9.3.2.2 Structure

At the time the game was designed (Fall 2001 after 9/11), the number of tourists visiting Florida had plummeted and it was unclear as to how many seasonal residents would return to Florida. The hardest hit segments of the tourism sector were attractions and lodging (down 40%).13 Thus, prize packages featuring attractions and lodging made a lot of sense.

It was obvious that any attempt to use a tourist attraction/resort-based prize-based game would have to be structured in a way that: (1) targeted year-round Florida residents to play, (2) prompted winners to redeem their prizes quickly, and (3) enticed non-winners to take advantage of discounts at tourism-related establishments that are VISIT FLORIDATM partners.

Previous marketing and focus-group research had shown that a number of factors prompt individuals to play scratch-off games, including the size of the top prize, colorful and fun graphics, ease of play, newness of game, cost of a ticket, theme, perceived playing time, money images, second chance drawings, and past scratch-off experiences.14

9.3.2.3 Player Profile

Available tracking surveys by Ipsos-Reid revealed some differences in the profile of scratch-off and other lottery game players in Florida:15

Age: Scratch-off players are slightly younger, with a median age in the 35–44 year range and the highest proportion of players aged 18–34 years.

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Gender: A majority (57%) of scratch-off game players are female.

Income:Scratch-off game players have the second highest proportion of annual incomes over $50,000 and the second lowest proportion of players earning under $30,000 annually.

Educational attainment: Scratch-off games have the second most educated playership (behind Lotto).

Employment status: Scratch-off games have the highest percentage of full-time employee players of any game (47%) and the lowest percentage of retiree players (20%).

Approximately 30% of instant game players play once a week or more.

Instant games generate nearly one-third of all lottery revenue.16 9.3.2.4 Attitudes Toward Tourism in Florida

Research by VISIT FLORIDATM tracking resident attitudes towards the tourism industry has consistently shown strong support for the tourism industry. In 2001 a high proportion (94%) agreed that ‘‘tourism is a good thing for Florida.’’17 And nearly one-third (30.6%) attributed some of their household income to tourism.18

9.3.2.5 Pleasure Trips Inside Florida

Research has also shown that among the households reporting having taken a pleasure-related trip in a given year, over 40% take one inside Florida (Verhine, 2002:3). The most common destinations are to theme/amusement parks, the beach, sightseeing in big cities, and smaller, more rural spots outside large metropolitan areas (eco-tourism, camping, fishing, boating, sports events).

These attitudes and trip patterns were a solid base upon which to build a tourism-based game.

9.3.2.6 Prize Structure and Rationale

The game featured more than $10 million in cash prizes19and 90 vacation packages via 5 partners:20

30 Seven-night cruises for two on Carnival Cruise Lines.21

20 Dolphin Adventure vacation prize packages for four at Miami Seaquarium.22

20 Vacation packages for up to four at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World Adventure Park, Orlando.23

10 Vacation packages for four at Kennedy Space Center.24

10 Seven-day/six-night vacation packages for four at one of the Panhandle’s Emerald Coast Resorts.25

These partners were strategically chosen to reach the entire state and include the areas hit hardest by plunging tourism. Clearly, tourism suffered most ‘‘in markets most reliant on international visitors and air travel: Orlando and South Florida’’ (Albright, 2002). Orlando was ranked ‘‘second only to Las Vegas among the nation’s cities devastated the most economically by the Sept. 11 tragedies’’ by the New York Times(Orlando Business Journal, October 12, 2001). Arrivals at the Miami International Airport fell 26%

(Frank, 2002).26

In addition, all non-winning‘‘Play FLA USA’’ tickets could be presented for discounts on goods and services at more than 270 participating merchants throughout Florida.27 Adding a ‘‘non-winner’’ dimension to a scratch-off game is done infrequently, usually no more than twice a year.

The fact that it was done on this game proves three things: (1) its high priority; (2) its urgency; and (3) belief that Floridians would ‘‘cash’’ in these non-winning ticket discounts at participating tourist-related establishments.

9.3.2.7 Advertising

Advertising is critically important to a game’s success. States have learned that the introduction of ‘‘new and exciting’’ games that will capture the public’s attention is a key to lottery scratch-off ticket sales (Miller and Morey, 2003;La Fleur’s Magazine, 2002). Florida research, as previously noted, has confirmed it.

The Lottery expended nearly 1/7 of its entire annual advertising budget on the ‘‘Play FLA USA’’ game. The $5 million advertising budget was spent on: point-of-sale materials (posters, play station centerfolds, brochures), television and radio advertising, and an Internet promotion. Materials were developed in English (Cooper and Hayes) and Spanish28 (Sanchez and Levitan). The latter was particularly important because previous research had shown that awareness of scratch-off games was significantly lower among the Hispanic population — the fastest growing segment of Florida’s population.

The television ad series initially featured the Lottery Department Director informing viewers of the seriousness of the drop off in out of state tourists, while encouraging them to help Florida out by playing the game and playing at various tourist locations. It was the first time that the Secretary of the Lottery had been used in a TV commercial. The ads also featured ‘‘real people’’ excited about winning wonderful trips in Florida instead of animated characters, movie themes, etc. A 60-second ad featuring all five

The Lottery as an Economic Stimulus Tool: The Case of Florida g 245

Table 9.2 Florida Lottery Ad Scripts

‘‘Play FLA USA’’

Series 1 Base ad script:

We’re lucky to live in Florida. Visitors come from all over to enjoy the backyard we take for granted. To encourage all of us to stay here and play here, the Florida Lottery has teamed up with Visit Florida to introduce Play FLA/USA, the Lottery’s newest scratch-off game.

We’ve got to play! When we play FLA/USA we can win up to 10 grand! And we can win Carnival cruises, vacations to Universal/Orlando, and Sea World, Kennedy Space Center (ooh, astronauts). And Miami Seaquarium! Even golf and fishing trips at Emerald Coast! Plus, all the other tickets are good for discounts at some of Florida’s best hotels, restaurants, cruises, tours and attractions! So every ticket’s a winner!

And, as always, a portion of every lottery dollar goes to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. So, when you stay here and play here, we all win.

Special add-on clips:

Play FLA/USA and you could win a fabulous 7-day cruise for 2 on a Carnival Fun Ship right from Miami, Tampa, or Port Canaveral. Plus, all other tickets are also good for an extra $50 off of a 3 to 5-day cruise, or $100 off a 7-day or longer cruise.