Hand out a scratch off card and ask what it’s worth. Is it worth its cost of purchase at $5 or its potential winnings of $500,000? The true value remains hidden beneath a foil stamp or latex ink.
Which is exactly the point.
Scratch off cards hold potential. The same “gambling” behavioral principles that make scratch off cards so successful for lotteries and gaming businesses can also be used as a creative marketing tactic and promotional tool to engage with your customers.
How to Use Scratch Off Card Marketing
Think about what you want your campaign to achieve. Do you want to increase your leads, boost sales, build your brand? Defining your goals can help you format the type of rewards you offer and the terms of the competition.
Here are some ways big brands have used scratch card marketing to meet their goals.
1. Use Discount Codes for Upselling
When your goal is to boost sales, one strategy is to encourage future revenue. Department stores like JCPenney and Macy’s have used “mystery discount” scratch-off card campaigns to generate return customers. They target consumers in mail or newspaper inserts or distribute cards directly at the check-out counter. At Macy’s, customer scratch offs revealed a $5 to $25-off discount on a future purchase.
Liberty Tax Services used a similar strategy by using scratch-and-win cards to lead customers into upgraded products or services. They were offered discounts on the future purchase of credit monitoring services, audit protection, and tax return loans.
2. Build Momentum for Special Events
Scratch off cards can build excitement and awareness for the launch of new product lines, seasonal events or rebrands. When Wendy’s introduced a campaign for “Fresh-Made Breakfast” with new offerings like a “Mornin’ Melt Panini” and an “Artisan Egg Sandwich,” they used scratch-off cards to build buzz. Their scratch, match, and win promotion showcased the new food items as prizes to drive traffic to those menu options.
3. Drive In-Person Traffic
A targeted mailing, USPS EDDM, or hand-out piece with a “mystery discount” can require customers to visit the store to reveal the prize. For example, Herzog Jewelers created a holiday scratch off card. They required potential customers to bring their unscratched card in store anytime during Thanksgiving weekend to redeem their prize — a guaranteed minimum $25 gift certificate.
You can also create opportunities for customer interaction with “lucky number matches.” Jackson Hewitt Tax Service offered discounts and prizes on a scratch off card based on the revealed number printed. However, to claim the prize, customers had to bring their card in store to match the number to an offer.
4. Incentivize Employee Safety
Employee safety incentive programs can change the environment in your workplace by rewarding positive behavior. The goal is always to prevent accidents, reduce missed workdays, lower insurance premiums and increase morale or productivity.
For example, Bosch employees received a scratch-off card based on measuring tools sales with guaranteed winning odds and over 1000 prizes. And at Monsanto, a scratch card was used as a reward to reinforce workplace safety with the statement, “We caught you doing something SAFE AT WORK,” boldly across the top.
5. Reward Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty programs, which create a bit of fun and make the user feel valued with rewards, are key to winning their loyalty. When Hilton Hotels was looking to drive hotel revenue and increase registrations for their “Winning Weekends” campaign—an offshoot of their guest loyalty program Hilton Honors—they used scratch-off cards. Customers had to subscribe on the website and input the revealed codes to check for the winning prize.
You may even create a “Match 2 out of 3 to Win” promotion like the loyalty rewards campaign run by Marriott Hotels. Visitors could win complimentary internet, a complimentary cocktail or a complimentary item from their gift shop.
6. Capture Data with Online Redemption
If your goal is to increase your leads, you can configure scratch-off card data to tie into your email marketing campaigns. For example, Heineken’s Skyfall 007 promotion asked consumers to “crack the case.” Consumers revealed a secret code and entered it at Heineken.com. Typically, customized registration forms on a landing page or app collect exactly the information you need from users. This enables you to qualify the leads based on the information you obtain, irrespective of whether they’ve won prizes.
Papa John’s Pizza used a similar tactic when they created an online-only redemption system for their scratch-off cards. Customers could redeem their code via their website for an extra-large specialty pizza. Most businesses have an email platform inside the promotion where they can configure and schedule email communications to participants. They can send emails to winners or thank you messages with encouragement to continue trying.
Find the Right Printing Company for Your Scratch-and-Win Campaign
Specialty products, like scratch-off cards, can be a great option to engage current and potential customers. But you won’t make an impact without the right printing company. At Labels & Specialty Products, we have the experience and variable printing technology to create high-quality, customized scratch-and-win cards.
Contact us today to talk to one of our experts about how you can create imaginative and eye-catching scratch off cards to make an impression on your customers.
