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Lotto launches digital signs for the digital times

NZ Lotteries has given the digital signage sector a big fillip with the roll-out of LCD promotional screens to 600 of its top Lotto stores around the country, the biggest roll-out of its kind in New Zealand. And so far, the enticing new technology is doing the business. 

“Digital signage is a new medium that offers us huge potential as a new marketing channel, using a mix of animation, video and catchy messages,” says NZ Lotteries’ chief executive Todd McLeay. “Approximately one million customers visit our Lotto stores each week, and digital signage can offer them a more emotionally engaging in-store experience than present. It will grab attention and better engage our customers—as well as reduce our carbon footprint with less of a requirement for printed collateral over time.”

The digital screens play a range of promotional displays for NZ Lotteries brands, as well as showing current jackpot levels and information on lottery grants for the community.

“As the signage was only installed into our top 600 Lotto outlets, out of a network of 1000, it has been possible to compare performance against the two groups. And although it is still early days, we are seeing around a one to two percent sales lift for our products in those stores,” he says. “In particular, we have noticed the signage seems to be more effective in promoting Instant Kiwi and Bullseye sales. Instant Kiwi is our most ‘impulse’ game, and Bullseye is our newest daily game so digital signage provides a new channel to give customers information at the point of purchase regarding how to play these products.”

Digital signage is relatively new in the New Zealand retail market, with the likes of Shell, BP, Z and The Warehouse investing in digital signage networks. But internationally the medium has achieved significant growth and is being embraced by some of the largest retailers in the world, including Tesco, Target and the Bank of America.

The United Kingdom’s OAA (Outdoor Advertising Association) predicts the digital screen market will be worth £107 million ($211 million NZD) by the end of 2012, or 14.9 percent of all outdoor advertising revenue.

International research studies carried out by Microsoft and Intel have shown that more than five times as many people look at digital signage when compared to a flat poster, even a back lit version. And, on average, the time customers spend viewing digital signage is 40 percent higher than viewing a static display.

After a competitive tender process, NZ Lotteries partnered with New Zealand vendor SignActive to implement digital signage in 600 of its retail stores. Most of the installations are 47 inch landscape screens, whilst 42 inch portrait screens have been used in sites where there is limited space.

Other support for the project has included LG as the monitor supplier, Laser Electrical as the installers, and Datacom as the service and support company.

“NZ Lotteries is designing the content internally with the assistance of Auckland-based company Motion Graphics,” he says. “As well as promotions and jackpot messages, we also have information on how to play games, winners’ stories, and information on lottery grant recipients around the country, so the content is always changing and remains entertaining.”

 

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