From a ‘future ready mindset’ to the use of AI for a new marketing campaign and from virtual influencers and communities to meaningful best practices in digitalising the lotteries player services. The 2024 EL/WLA Marketing seminar brought this altogether.
Digital marketing, also known as online marketing or internet marketing, has revolutionised the way businesses connect with their audience and promote their products and services. This is no different for national lotteries.
Key learnings and take aways
Engaging customers with powerful content
Allister Frost, Microsoft’s first ever Head of Digital Marketing Strategy and the creator of ‘5 steps to success in a world of change’, showed in his opening keynote how to follow and react positively to change. He emphasised to have a ‘future ready mindset’ to cope with the fast changing digital opportunities.
Jennifer Quigley-Jones, CEO and Founder of Influencer Marketing agency Digital Voices, showcased in her keynote the importance of harnessing the power of creators to engage communities and make content that customers want to watch, not ads they want to skip. She pointed also on the role of digital influencers.
The use of generative AI
The growing importance of the use of generative AI in the lottery sector, especially where it concerns the various marketing activities is one of the most important learnings from this year’s marketing seminar. As presented by the Belgian National Lottery with their recent EuroDreams campaign, generative AI can help with the creation of marketing campaigns. Several other examples showed that AI is key in bringing data together to understand the needs and desires of players even better then before. It helps to create an individual approach, as well as protecting players and helping them to enjoy the games in full.
The future of digital marketing
Inspiring digital projects were described by the Hungarian National Lottery, The Finnish National Lottery and the Romanian National Lottery. All new technologies should also be used to set the player at the centre of all activities, rethink and focus on the real need of traditional marketing, where shooting an expensive TV commercial abroad was questioned against all digital opportunities that marketers have today.
From the various contributions of the partners of EL and WLA, it became clear that they are all focused on helping their clients with the best digital solutions, online as well as “omnichannel”. Neogames, IGT, Scientific Games, Intralot and Pollard Banknote Limited gave inspiring insights into their approach towards the digital opportunities.
An out of the box presentation was given by the Polish National Lottery, explaining the use of digital opportunities in onboarding programmes for new and existing employees. A digital world helps employees to learn and understand on the various projects and aspects of the whole organisation.
A CEO panel with US based lotteries, moderated by WLA president Rebecca Paul, gave insights in the US market and its fast developing digital world as well as brick and mortal environments. Well know brands and events are more and more incorporated in the multijurisdictional games, attracting a large and growing player base.
Looking ahead!
This year's edition of the EL/WLA Marketing seminar was hosted just ahead of ICE London, the leading global gaming and gambling event to service the whole industry. Looking ahead, the 2025 edition of the Seminar will follow in the footsteps of ICE, taking place in the vibrant city of Barcelona. Note the dates in your digital diary already (22-24 January 2025). We look forward to seeing you there!
