Business Research Methods, $14$e$/$Schindler

$1$

$>$cases

$>$Abstract

Used with permission

of Pamela S$.$ Schindler.

$2006.$

Ohio Lottery: Innovative Research

Design Drives Winning

The Ohio Lottery was originally developed as an additional source of public

school funding. Today proceeds from lottery games annually provide approximately $7\%$ of the public educational budget. This research was originally undertaken because the lottery director wanted a deeper understanding of lottery

players and insight into nonplayers. The research design described in this case is

multistage and incorporates the use of both qualitative and quantitative research.

This case reveals the research that guides the current Ohio Lottery promotional

program that encourages play of its various games.

$>$The Research

When the Ohio Lottery was first conceived, it was presented to the voters of

Ohio as a way to provide supplemental funding for Ohio schools$\mathrm{.}1$ The Ohio

Lottery sold its first ticket in $1974.$ Currently, all profits go to the Ohio Lottery

Education fund, which supplies about $7\%$ of the current education budget.

Although Ohioans annually spend about $$200$ per capita on lottery tickets, in

recent years the Ohio Lottery has suffered stagnant sales. The Ohio Lottery is

interested in stimulating more play of lottery games$\mathrm{.}2$

The process started in early January $2005$ when the Ohio Lottery approached

Marcus Thomas, LLC$3$ an agency that had worked with them before on media

and research projects.

$$Rod Ingram $($lottery director$)$ basically wanted a deeper understanding of lottery

players and insight into nonplayers,$$ explained Jennifer Hirt$-$Marchand, vice

president of research for Marcus Thomas$\mathrm{.}4$Rod had extensive demographic data

on players, but it was obvious that what he needed was behavioral and psychographic information on both players and nonplayers.$$

$$I had read extensively about the metaphor elicitation technique $($MET$)$ developed

by Gerald Zaltman $($professor$,$ Harvard University$),$ said Hirt$-$Marchand. Because most human communication is nonverbal and metaphors are a key bridge

between direct verbal communication and more impressionistic thoughts and

feelings, the metaphor elicitation technique showed promise to unlock true motivations$\mathrm{.}5$We didn$$t have experience at that time with MET, but MRSI$6$ did. I asked

them to provide a video of a MET interview and, after seeing it$,$ I was convinced

of its potential.$$ Thus, Marcus Thomas partnered with MRSI to determine $$why

players purchase tickets and other emotional factors that motivate consumers to

purchase games.$7$

Business Research Methods, $14$e$/$Schindler

$2$

Phase I$$Qualitative$$MET

Early in the research process, two additional agencies the Ohio Lottery had been

using for creative development were called in$.$ Because their work was also meant

to stimulate demand for lottery tickets, input from these agencies was deemed

critical to the overall success of the research project.

$$We wanted to get buy$-$in from them from the beginning,$$ explained HirtMarchand. It also helped that Ingram considered engagement with the research

vitally important for each of its agencies. And each agency had numerous questions, among them: What is the understanding of the pay$-$out or odds and how

relevant is this understanding to making a purchase? Are purchases of lottery

tickets routine or impulsive? Are purchases perceived as recreation or gambling?

What motivates play? How is winning defined? What is the influence of in$-$store

promotion and signage? Is playing perceived as chance or skill? What is the

significance of the dollar value of the ticket?

$$MET interviews are long, often $90$ minutes or more,$$ said Hirt$-$Marchand.$$

$$Lottery staffers and agency personnel were behind the one$-$way mirror at every

session.$$ During April through June, a total of $25$ interviews were conducted in

three Ohio cities $($Cleveland$,$ Columbus, and Cincinnati$)$ to understand motivations

for playing lottery games, to determine obstacles to playing or playing more often,

and to provide guidance for the quantitative segmentation study to follow$\mathrm{.}8$ MRSI

provided the interviewer for most of the sessions, but Hirt$-$Marchand wanted

Marcus Thomas to develop the expertise. She was trained by the moderator, and,

after observing the process unfold for $20$ interviews, Hirt$-$Marchand conducted

the final five interviews personally. $$The interviewing technique is similar to a depth

interview. But the moderator spends most of his or her time listening, encouraging

a deeper dialog, with head nods, answer rephrasing, and constant requests for the

participant to elaborate.$$

Participants represented all four groups of interest: heavy player $($at least twice a

week$),$ occasional player $($at least once in three months$),$ rare player $($less than

twice a year$)$; and nonplayers. When using MET, participants are assigned a task

to complete before the interview: They bring photos or other images $($e$.$g$.,$ images

cut from magaz