Gia Bellamy, Copywriter
I can’t remember the last time I bought a scratch ticket. Call me a cynic, but if I spend money, I’d like to get something beyond the possibility of winning money.
This weekend, that all changed. Sort of. Talyn arrived at Swim on Friday with news of free paddleboarding on Lake Superior. You’d think she announced free pizza for life based on my reaction. Paddleboard rentals can get pricey, and unless you find a used board at the end of the season, buying one isn’t really doable, either. Hearing that we could go for free solidified my weekend plans.
The only catch: you have to buy a Minnesota Lottery High Stakes Lakes scratch ticket. Weird?
Or, is it genius?
I can’t say I have too many friends that buy scratch tickets. But, I do know a lot of people who love paddleboarding. Looking more into the Minnesota Lottery’s #chanceitMN campaign, I started to understand the connection. The Minnesota Lottery seems to be going after a younger audience with its cheery illustrations and casual tone. Tying the brand to an experience (which, as you know, millennials live for), was spot on.
The idea was pretty simple. First, we picked up a couple High Stakes Lakes lottery tickets. Talyn won $5 to break even and I won $0. No problem. We still got an hour of paddling out of the deal. Once we arrived at Park Point, we just had to show our lottery tickets in order to hop on a board. Making an event like this easy to do is one thing that will guarantee its success. People don’t want to have to work for things. But, if you make the activity easy, fun and Instagramable, the odds of engagement are (ever) in your favor.
BONUS: You could upload a photo here for a chance to win more money.
The only downside was not having all the information in one location. We had to ask the volunteers running the event, check the website, check Twitter and ask other people to get the complete story. Clarity could be improved upon for sure but overall, we had a great time.
And, for a scratch ticket, I have to say — the design is pretty great.