Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. V I I A P R I L 6 , 2 0 1 5 22 I n what's being described as the fi rst Major League Baseball-sanctioned lottery ticket featuring a pro- fessional baseball player, the Maine State Lottery is unveiling this spring a new instant ticket game off ering as its grand prize a luncheon hosted for 10 lucky winners by Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, known to fans as Big Papi. e winners then will be invited to watch the Red Sox play ball from the team's private suite at Fenway Park. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says Michael Boardman, the lottery's marketing director. "We're pretty excited about it." e advertising rollout for the Big Papi/Boston Red Sox Instant Ticket, coincidentally, marks the debut of the lottery's new agency of record, Boston-based Fuseideas (pronounced "fuse ideas"). Fuseideas took over the lottery account Feb. 1 from Portland-based NL Partners. Dennis Franczak, Fuseideas' fou nder and CEO, doesn't need to be reminded that the agency's fi rst-at- bat for Team Maine Lottery is akin to David Ortiz stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. "We want a 'Wow!' factor for this fi rst one," he says. "It's not going to be gimmicky, it's going to be unique," adds Steve Mason, a Maine native and Fuseideas' senior vice president, who oversees the company's Portland offi ce and will be working on the Maine Lottery account. "It will refl ect what these games are all about — fun and entertainment." Mason says the Big Papi instant win game is a good example of how lotteries are moving beyond a simple "jackpot" mindset to a broader approach that emphasizes what Boardman fairly calls, at least in Red Sox Nation, giving people a chance to win a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. e marketing chal- lenge, Mason says, is to connect David Ortiz's celeb- rity status — his gift for hitting game-winning home runs, his love of spicy food and backyard barbecues, his unbridled exuberance and propensity for, shall we say, colorful language — with the lives of the people who'll be buying those instant lottery tickets. "It's not just about Big Papi," he says. "It's about the opportunity for the winning players to enjoy a unique experience at Fenway Park." Boosting the lottery's brand Boardman says the Big Papi instant win game was developed by Maine State Lottery's longtime tech- nology partner Scientifi c Games Corp. (NASDAQ: SGMS), which completed a major upgrade of the state's "instant win" (e.g. Mad Money and 7 Wins) and "draw lottery" (e.g. Megabucks and Powerball) operations last fall. e upgrade included installing new lottery equip- ment in nearly 1,300 retail locations statewide. It's part of an overall strategy to make sure the 40-year-old brand, which has pumped more than $1.19 billion into the state's general fund and has paid more than $2.8 billion in prizes to winners since 1974, doesn't slip into a middle-age mindset of complacency. " at's always a challenge when you're a 'mature' lot- tery," he says. "Fuseideas really put together a very strong proposal to move us forward going into the future. With their help, we'll be trying some new things." Fuseideas, which has an offi ce just off Portland's Commercial Street, has a $3.56 million marketing budget for 2015, which includes $710,000 to promote instant tickets, $1 million for Powerball, Hot Lotto, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life, and $1.85 million Steve Mason, senior vice president of Fuseideas, right, with his Maine Lottery team. From left to right, Doug Campbell, creative director; Paul Bonneau, broadcast creative director; Angie Helton, director of public relations; and Rhea Golub, assistant account executive, handle the Lottery account from the Portland offi ce. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Home run for Lotto Fuseideas lands three-year contract to market Maine Lottery B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y F O C U S That's always a challenge when you're a 'mature' lottery. Fuseideas really put together a very strong proposal to move us forward going into the future. With their help, we'll be trying some new things. — Michael Boardman, Maine State Lottery

• Cover