Nebraska Lottery recently ran a mobile campaign to build up hype for an application launched earlier this year that resulted in a low cost-per-click for the brand.

Skar, an Omaha, NE advertising firm, worked with the Nebraska Lottery and Varick Media Management to target 18- to 50-year-olds in Nebraska and encourage them to download the company's app and play online. Nebraska Lottery aimed to attract users from all income levels.

?The target audience was found as a result of action, not inference,? said McLeod Sims, media trader at VMM, New York. ?We found efficient placements and users and focused the majority of the budget in these areas.?

?The ad was geo-targeted to Nebraska and ran on both mobile optimized Web sites and in-app,? he said.
 
Lottery winnings
The Nebraska Lottery sells $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $15 and $20 scratch tickets and offers Lotto games such as Powerball, 2by2, Nebraska Pick 5, Nebraska Pick 3, MyDaY and Mega Millions.

With Nebraska Lottery?s mobile app, consumers can get winning numbers, learn about beneficiaries and locate Nebraska Lottery retailers. The app is available for iOS and Android platforms.

The mobile campaign ran from Sept. 2 to 29. It aimed for a cost-per-click of less than $1 for mobile ads, with a goal to avoid fraudulent clicks on ads and attract people who are interested in the playing the lottery.

By using its propriety data management platform, The Lens, VMM analyzed Nebraska Lottery?s audience. VMM found that posting real-time lottery jackpot amounts attracted higher-income users.

VMM also determined that during the campaign Android users downloaded the Nebraska Lottery app more often than iPhone users.

?Android phones are typically used by lower-income people who also typically play the lottery more,? Mr. Sims said.

In addition, the mobile campaign aimed to increase downloads of the Nebraska Lottery?s mobile app, which was launched in July.

Game time
Skar has worked with Nebraska Lottery on other campaigns, such as the ?Find Your Game, Find Your Fun? scratch game campaign. The mobile campaign resulted in a CPC of 58 cents, much less than the projected $1 or less CPC.

As mobile use increases, more organizations are turning to mobile optimizers, such as VMM, to generate publicity and increase product awareness.

Nebraska Lottery officials said they plan to continue to do more mobile campaigns.

?They've been doing mobile display as a part of all of their digital initiatives,? said Eva Johnson, marketing manager at VMM, New York.

Final Take
Kari Jensen is a staff writer on Mobile Marketer, New York