Client Objective

A regional state lottery organization needed to drive top-of-funnel awareness for their Q3-Q4 2025 scratch ticket lineup. This push specifically supported two major product releases: a major blockbuster movie franchise partnership, and a tiered, Halloween-themed jackpot series. The campaign needed to break through by capitalizing on highly specific cultural moments, specifically a 2025 summer blockbuster and the Halloween season.

Recognizing that traditional demographic targeting would be inadequate and needing to bypass rigid platform constraints on YouTube, the team implemented a mobile and CTV-first approach driven by contextual thematic targeting.

24%

Overall cost-per-mille (CPM) efficiency achieved

93%

Impressions generated from CTV and mobile

61%

Niche audiences reached through VRC and Non-skippable campaigns

Turning Cultural Moments into Seasonal Awareness

• Capitalizing on High-Intent Context: We bypassed generic demographic buckets to intercept audiences actively consuming culturally relevant media. By tailoring our segmentation, focusing on horror aficionados for the Halloween drop and event-ticket buyers for the movie tie-in, we effectively engaged high-intent viewers.

• Scaling Through Immersive Environments: Because the creative demanded attention, we optimized delivery for high-engagement, lean-back viewing experiences. By prioritizing Connected TV and Mobile, we capitalized on immersive screen time, proving that the viewing environment is just as crucial as the audience targeting.

• Navigating Platform Constraints: Lottery and gambling advertisers face steep platform restrictions on YouTube. We safely navigated these policy roadblocks by swapping restricted demographic targeting for fully compliant contextual signals. By leaning into film industry topics and movie franchise keywords, our Video Reach Campaigns achieved an 18% CPM efficiency against initial targets.