The gaming, lotteries and wagering giant is challenging marketing teams to pitch an innovative idea for a chance to win a $300K budget to bring it to life
Australian gaming, lotteries and wagering giant, Tatts Group, has held a marketing innovation challenge giving marketing teams the opportunity to pitch an innovative idea and win a $300,000 budget to bring it to life.
Headed up by CMO, Megan Magill, more than 50 submissions were initially received from across the business, which were then shortlisted to five. The top five were then invited to pitch at the Powerhouse Visy Theatre in Brisbane to over 100 attendees, and in front of Magill and a judging panel including Tatts Group CEO, Robbie Cooke, Carat CEO, Simon Ryan, The Monkeys owner, Mark Green, and Y&R Group’s managing director, Phil McDonald.
Magill said the Marketing Innovation Program was developed to foster an open-minded culture that explores new ways to approach the challenges facing marketing teams.
“We’re operating in a marketplace that demands innovation from its brands, so we need to respond by exploring new ways of marketing our products, and this project has delivered that,” she said.
Two winners were announced, receiving budgets of $300,000 each to deliver their project. Brand portfolio manager for the Lotteries business, Ben Johnson, secured funding for his ‘Winning Happens’ idea, while Lotteries brand managers, Kristin Fairley and Jessica Dillon, were also awarded funding for their ‘Data Generated Numbers’ program.
Cooke said the project demonstrates the company's focus on innovating across all parts of our business.
"The default when there's talk of innovation is always technology, but we think innovation is about more than that, it’s about challenging perceptions, staying ahead of the pack and thinking differently," he said. "I’ve been overwhelmed by the quality of ideas that have come out of this process.”
Innovation is key to ensuring Tatts maintains its customers’ attention now and into the future, Magill added.
“The winning ideas directly target this challenge and we look forward to seeing them bought to life,” she said.
Earlier this year, snacking giant, Mondelez International, launched a similar program called Media Innovators, which saw
nine teams of digital marketers from the group’s chocolate portfolio,
including Picnic, Timeout, Freddo, Dairy Milk and Cadbury Baking,
battling for a share of a $1 million advertising budget by coming up with
digitally-led marketing ideas utilising new media opportunities.
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+: google.com/+CmoAu
In the third and final episode of our 3-part CMO50 video series exploring modern marketing and why it’s become a matter of trust, we’re delighted to be joined by Telstra’s former CMO and now digital services and sales executive, Jeremy Nicholas, and Adobe VP Marketing Asia-Pacific and Japan, Duncan Egan.
Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.
Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?
As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.
