Swift move! How BCLC turned convenience stores into cultural touchpoints during the Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Mandeep Bhatti, trade marketing manager at British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), and his team pulled off what many considered nearly impossible. They turned a traditionally older-skewing category into a must-play, culturally relevant experience for adults under 35.
“One of our biggest challenges in lottery is that we have an aging core demographic in terms of who it appeals to,” Bhatti says. “We had to evolve and find a way to be relevant to younger adults who want experiences and social currency, not just cash prizes.”
Opportunity struck when pop superstar Taylor Swift announced extra Vancouver shows in 2024 for her Eras Tour. Bhatti saw a chance to “shake it off” and turn the traditional lottery experience on its head. Partnering with BC Place—also a Crown corporation—the BCLC team secured a VIP hospitality suite for a winner and 13 of their friends.
Drawing inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Willy Wonka hides golden tickets in chocolate bars for a magical experience to his factory, BCLC created the “Concert of a Lifetime” Scratch & Win game.
Players could win one of 10 top prizes of $25,000, with each top-prize winner who claimed their ticket by the Oct. 25, 2024, deadline entered into a draw for the VIP suite experience at the opening night of Swift’s December show at BC Place.
A major challenge? Promoting Swift without access to intellectual property.
“We didn’t have any rights to Taylor Swift’s name or IP, so we had to build a ticket that was instantly recognizable to her fans, but legally compliant,” Bhatti explains. “We leaned into the folklore of her universe with colours, imagery and symbols—little Easter eggs that resonated with and were instantly recognizable to the Swiftie community.”
Scratching the ticket, for example, revealed guitars, cats and other symbolic visuals, creating a tangible, shareable moment for every player. Winners of the 10 tickets also received themed gift boxes inspired by the artist, with exclusive items worth over $500.
“It’s about giving people a chance to dream, to escape reality for a few minutes,” says Bhatti, who joined BCLC in 2016 and before that spent four years at Ferrero, where he earned the 2015 Ferrero Leadership Award for growing product distribution.
Partnerships with c-stores proved critical.
BCLC worked with over 2,500 retail locations, including Parkland, Circle K, 7-Eleven and independent stores, featuring immersive displays and a strongly executed retail POS plan. “We were able to turn convenience stores into cultural touchpoints,” Bhatti says. “People weren’t just buying tickets—they were coming in, interacting, and forming a connection with the category and the retailer.”
To build excitement, BCLC introduced a countdown ticker on its website showing the exact days, hours and minutes remaining to claim a top-prize ticket. “The countdown wasn’t just a timer, it was a rallying point for fans,” Bhatti notes. “It gave them something to check daily, a reason to keep coming back online and in-store.”
Online, the campaign exploded and quickly went viral. Teasers, influencers, user generated content and BCLC’s social channels created viral buzz around the mystery artist. One reel surpassed 120,000 views in under 40 hours, with fans sharing posts and debating the artist’s identity.
“The Swiftie community is incredible,” remarks Bhatti. “They were helping each other figure out where tickets were still available at retail, sharing tips—it was like watching fandom in real time.”
The North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) recognized BCLC’s Concert of a Lifetime as a finalist for a 2025 Buddy Roogow Innovation Award. The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) also recognized it with an innovation award at its annual Summit.
Its success is particularly impressive given the price point. At $25, Concert of a Lifetime cost nearly double what BCLC’s typical player spends. “Our average scratch and win transaction is approximately $15,” Bhatti says. “So, getting someone to jump to a $25 price point—let alone buy more than one—is almost an impossible leap in our world.”
And yet, they did it. “People were buying booklets of tickets—$250 at a time—which is massive for a convenience store basket,” he adds. “That kind of shift doesn’t happen unless the product genuinely connects with people.”
The BCLC team launched the ticket with retail activation ‘pop-ups’ around the Greater Vancouver market, where retailers saw lines stretching through parking lots, with some locations selling out in minutes. One key account sold over $650,000 worth of Concert of a Lifetime tickets in less than 12 weeks!
BCLC’s investment paid off dramatically in other ways: they were able to engage with the under-35 demographic, create a cultural phenomenon and set a record for one of the fastest-selling tickets in BCLC’s 40-year history.
The campaign also resonated with their target audience. Among seven top-prize winners, three were under age 35, and one was a first-time player. The grand prize winner, North Vancouver dad Doug Lenhart, became a local hero when he donated four of his concert tickets to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Over 24% of adults under age 35 surveyed said they would try similar games in the future.
“It wasn’t just about the revenue,” Bhatti reflects. “It was about creating moments people remember, turning first-time players into players, and showing lottery can be exciting, relevant and meaningful.”
Looking ahead, Bhatti and his team are already planning the next wave of experience-based concepts.
“Concerts are just the beginning,” he says. “We’re exploring travel packages, exclusive experiences, and interactive events that combine the thrill of winning with moments that bring people together. The goal is to keep making lottery a part of culture and lifestyle, not just a transaction.”
