Tatts offers chance for one innovative marketing team to win $300,000

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.

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