36 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2022 Holiday instant games can be as beautiful as a postcard, but it’s not just about appearance. Every price point, playstyle, color and product enhancement in a holiday portfolio is strategically planned by lottery product managers. Market analytics come into play to make sure it’s just the right balance of games with that special magic to deliver sales performance. Danielle Hodges “There’s an opportunity to strategically enhance every holiday game with a touch of magic ,” says Danielle Hodges, Director of Global Product Innovation & Development, for Scientific Games, who has been working with instant games for 10 years. “The goal is to create just the right mix of games that pop at retail, appealing to core players as well as occasional and infrequent players—and gift-givers who are looking for that extra special something in the games they choose.” Behind the scenes at Scientific Games, creative teams collaborate with market analysts to make sure lotteries have the best holiday games for their portfolios with new playstyles, and shimmering, glimmering specialty finishes. Engineers, chemists and production specialists are testing new inks and papers. Ultimately, product marketing experts select the best of the best games for the company’s annual holiday games catalog. “With millions of products competing for attention during the holidays, standing out at retail becomes more challenging every year,” says Hodges. “For this reason, strategic enhancements have never been more popular.” Players are more open to purchasing higher price point games during the holiday season. In a recent ONE Segmentation Study, 45% were open to purchasing $10 games throughout the holidays. Prize structure is also a crucial component for holiday games. With higher price points, players expect premium products. Scientific Games’ analysts study performance trends from game launch through the entire lifecycle and prepare customized marketing plans as part of each customer’s strategic account management. Lottery product managers can also access games and data through the Game Gallery customer portal. “During the holidays, lotteries really want their games to deliver a memorable experience,” Hodges explains. “Delivering that experience brings the player back to the retailer to engage further, and creates loyalty with the lottery’s brand.” In 2021, the company’s holiday games represented more than 73% of holiday game retail sales in the U.S. Scientific Games produced 115 different holiday games for U.S. lotteries – about 7,500 miles of product on giant rolls of paper stock sourced from sustainable forests and printed with water-based inks.
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