Public Gaming Magazine Sept/Oct 2021

49 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 The lottery was joined by its ad agency, Marcus-Thomas, on the planning and rollout of the game. The agency developed a proprietary drawing and display process that will allow the lottery to continue to offer and award prizes dur- ing future Facebook Live events. The takeaways gained by the lottery include structuring an event that can be scaled, allowing players to comment and win often and as close to real- time as possible, and establishing a turnkey framework for future Facebook Livestream events. “Our long-term plan is to create real-time, one- to-one winning experiences by making FB Live appointment viewing for our customers,” said Tom Ackerman, Assistant Marketing Director, Ohio Lottery. The Minnesota Lottery enjoyed such good results from their 2020 year-end livestream that they held a Groundhog Day event in February 2021 followed by a Hive Live event to promote their Bee Lucky ticket, and other subsequent events. The hope is to hold one Facebook Live event each month and include a look at beneficiaries that receive funding from lottery revenues. “Our goal is to make these live events feel like a true experience,” said Shyla Howell, Minnesota Lottery’s Digital Marketing Manager. “We try to make them as interactive as possible by engag- ing with all of the viewers who are along for the ride. We utilize the comments section to ask questions, answer questions, promote products and fill in new viewers on what’s going on as they join in on the fun.” “With the majority of our in-person events on hold due to the pandemic, Facebook Live has been a wonderful opportunity for our brand to engage with our players, and catch some new ones along the way,” added Howell. Pandemic or no pandemic…social media is here to stay as an important communication tool for lotteries. Whether the outlet is Facebook, Twitter or any of the other popular outlets, lotteries now have ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive channels to reach players. And the opportunities for creativity are practically endless for lottery marketers who proven to be some of the savviest marketers in any busines. n The Ohio Lottery marketed its live event on Facebook Danielle Frizzi-Babb, the Ohio Lottery’s Communications Director and FB Live Event Host, is joined by PAC-MAN at the Lottery’s live event The Power of Social Media, continued from page 22 Our long-term plan is to create real-time, one-to-one winning experiences by making FB Live appointment viewing for our customers,” said Tom Ackerman, Assistant Marketing Director, Ohio Lottery.