Marketing 101: Lucky Tiger Scratch It Card: Same Product But with a Changing Name?

Scratch card Lucky Tiger similar to Go Banana, Golden Genie, Go for Gold and this month, Lucky Rabbit.

We have heard the phrase "If it Aint Broke, Why Change It?".

Pacific Online Systems, supplier of the Lucky Tiger Scratch It card, has a different take on that phrase.

You see, Pacific Online offers almost 14 kinds of Scratch It cards but a number of them are just variations of the same Game card wherein you find figures of the same peso amount, win that amount, to wit:

1.  Go Banana (same but has a multiplier to double or triple winnings)

   2.  Lucky Tiger (same but has bonus of a Gold Coin (win P200) or goldbar (win P1,000)

3.  Go For Gold  (same as Go Bananan)

4.  Golden Genie (same as Go Banana), and so on.

The Scratch It Card featuring the scheme of looking for 3 like amounts seems to be the most popular among lotto customers and what Pacific Online has done is to offer the same product packaged differently (different colors, card name).

URC's bestselling Piattos in different flavors & packaging

  A good analogy is Piattos Potato chips which comes in Cheese, Barbecue and Rancho style -- same product but with something a little different (flavor, color, name).

Lucky Tiger, to commemorate the Year of the Tiger last year 2010, will now go away and to be replace by, what else?  Lucky Rabbit for 2011!

For those interested in going into the Lotto Outlet business, I offer a One-on-One Consultation on How to Set-up and Operate Your Own Lotto Outlet.  Topics will include Site Selection, The Proper Way to Apply with the PCSO, How Much to Set-up a Lotto Outlet, Actual Operations, How to Attract Lotto Players, Hiring The Right Lotto Operator and How to Protect Your Business from Fraud and many many more.  I will share with you my Actual Experiences as a Lotto Agent.  My fee is only P2,000 per head.

 If you are interested in availing of my Lotto Consultation, you may text me at 0922-8831225 for details. See ya guys.

If you want to request for further information, send me a message or comment on the above post, please kindly click the "comment" button below this post.

I am conducting a Reader Survey on "Is Scramble a Fad?". On the Top Right part of this blog is my Survey Poll. Please click your choice and then click "Vote" button.

To see the results of the survey todate, just click the “Show Result” button

The All-time Bestselling PCSO Scratch It Card is still the Go Banana of Pacific Online Systems!

There are more than 20 kinds of PCSO Scratch & KasCash Cards to play.

  For those not familiar with it, a PCSO Lotto Outlet does not just sell Lotto tickets--- they also sell scratch cards.

Scratch cards are colorful cards that a lotto customer has to scratch to reveal the winning prize.  It is very relaxing to play and cost in general P20 for most games.

Each card has a different game scheme, to wit:

1.  Some cards will win if you can find 3 of the same amount, you win the amount.  Some cards like the go Banana has a multiplier (X2, X3) which can right away double or triple your winnings.

2.  Others like Red Hot 7 require that you find 3 7s in a row (vertical, horizontal or diagonal like Tic Tac Toe) and you win the amount where the 7s are aligned to.

3.  Others like Sunny Money (look for a Sun) while Cash Carnival means you look for a ferris wheel.

The All-time Favorite Scratch It Card -- Go Banana!

  4. Right now and still going strong is Go Banana.  Normally a Game card will be played for a fixed period of time (maybe 2 months or so and it will stop) but demand for Go Banana is so strong that I think it is already in its 6th Series of Launching!!!

Lotto customers enjoy playing the scratch cards to kill time while waiting say for the wife to finish grocering or waiting for somebody.  For the oldies, it is a means to fill in their time now that they mostly leave without their family and are just with the maid.

For those interested in going into the Lotto Outlet business, I offer a One-on-One Consultation on How to Set-up and Operate Your Own Lotto Outlet.  Topics will include Site Selection, The Proper Way to Apply with the PCSO, How Much to Set-up a Lotto Outlet, Actual Operations, How to Attract Lotto Players, Hiring The Right Lotto Operator and How to Protect Your Business from Fraud and many many more.  I will share with you my Actual Experiences as a Lotto Agent.  My fee is only P2,000 per head.


 If you are interested in availing of my Lotto Consultation, you may text me at 0922-8831225 for details. See ya guys.

If you want to request for further information, send me a message or comment on the above post, please kindly click the "comment" button below this post.

As a NEW FEATURE ON MY NEW BLOG, I am conducting a Reader Survey on "Is Scramble a Fad?". On the Top Right part of this blog is my Survey Poll. Please click your choice and then click "Vote" button.

To see the results of the survey todate, just click the “Show Result” button

Today is November 1 but to the Lotto Afficionados, This is The Day They Could Win The P288 Million 6/55 Jackpot!!!!

  Unbeknown to many non-lotto players, November 1 is a regular Draw Date for the PCSO Lotto Games and this day, November 1, 2010 is a Special Day as the 6/55 Lotto Jackpot is expected to exceed the P288 Million from last Saturday's 6/55 Lotto draw wherein nobody won.

  Yesterday, October 31, many of my lotto customers placed advance bets for 6/55 just in case they are not able to get back from visiting their Departed Ones in the country's cemeteries.  Who knows, their Alaga number combinations might just come out and it will be a terrible loss if they did not bet!!!!

While it was a holiday (no school classes), my lotto customers still had to drop-by my lotto outlet to place their bets lest they miss-out on the P288 Million Jackpot.  (P.S.  The highest Jackpot ever reached was the P347 Million of the 6/49 Lotto which was won by 2 individuals!).


For those interested in going into the Lotto Outlet business, I offer a One-on-One Consultation on How to Set-up and Operate Your Own Lotto Outlet.  Topics will include Site Selection, The Proper Way to Apply with the PCSO, How Much to Set-up a Lotto Outlet, Actual Operations, How to Attract Lotto Players, Hiring The Right Lotto Operator and How to Protect Your Business from Fraud and many many more.  I will share with you my Actual Experiences as a Lotto Agent.  My fee is only P2,000 per head.


 If you are interested in availing of my Lotto Consultation, you may text me at 0922-8831225 for details. See ya guys.

If you want to request for further information, send me a message or comment on the above post, please kindly click the "comment" button below this post.

As a NEW FEATURE ON MY NEW BLOG, I am conducting a Reader Survey on "What You Think Is The Hottest Small Business in Manila today". On the Top Right part of this blog is my Survey Poll. Please click your choice as the Best Small Business in Manila and then click "Vote" button.

To see the results of the survey todate, just click the “Show Result” button

PCSO LOTTO UPDATE: Lotto Outlet is Now Inside the MRT Station. . . Lotto Business Must Be Good!!!

(This is Actual Photo of my Lotto Outlet in a Mall in Quezon City)

  After Going through a Surgery to remove my wisdom tooth that decided to live under my gums, I had to climb the MRT Boni Station to get to the other side of EDSA (Robinson Pioneer Mall side) and wait for a taxi.

  While crossing the MRT Station above, I noticed that there is already a Lotto Station inside the MRT Station itself.  This is part of the series of Lotto Outlets that are being set-up in selected MRT stations and are all owned by Pacific Online Systems, the partner of the PCSO for the Visayas and Mindanao areas as well as the owner of the Lucky Circle Corp that has exclusive rights to operate Lotto outlets in all SM Malls (of course, SM owns Pacific Online indirectly through Belle Resources, the owner  of Pacific Online).

Well, if SM thinks Lotto is worthwhile to invest their huge Cash War Chest, then LOTTO MUST BE A GOOD BUSINESS!!!

(Your Lotto Customers can WIN AS MUCH AS P200,000 FROM SCRATCHING A SINGLE SCRATCH IT CARD! And you, as the Lotto Agent, gets 10% for Winnings over P10,000/card))

(There are so many PCSO Lotto Scratch It Cards to sell!!)

(Sample of a PCSO Lotto Scratch It Card)

(Long Lines at my Lotto Outlet)

(Sample of a PCSO Lotto ticket)

  For those interested in going into the Lotto Outlet business, I offer a One-on-One Consultation on How to Set-up and Operate Your Own Lotto Outlet.  Topics will include Site Selection, The Proper Way to Apply with the PCSO, How Much to Set-up a Lotto Outlet, Actual Operations, How to Attract Lotto Players, Hiring The Right Lotto Operator and How to Protect Your Business from Fraud and many many more.  I will share with you my Actual Experiences as a Lotto Agent.  My fee is only P2,000 per head. 

(Sample of a PCSO Lotto Playslip)

If you are interested in availing of my Lotto Consultation, you may text me at 0922-8831225 for details. See ya guys.

If you want to request for further information, send me a message or comment on the above post, please kindly click the "comment" button below this post.





As a NEW FEATURE ON MY NEW BLOG, I am conducting a Reader Survey on "What You Think Is The Hottest Small Business in Manila today". On the Top Right part of this blog is my Survey Poll. Please click your choice as the Best Small Business in Manila and then click "Vote" button.

To see the results of the survey todate, just click the “Show Result” button

EATING ON A TIGHT TIGHT BUDGET: The Buy One-Take One Hamburger Stand

Many of us grew up seeing the numerous Burger Machines spread-out in gas stations and at the roadside open 24/7. This was later followed by the Minute Burger franchises (owned by the producers of Clover Chips).

But the one that I think shook the market (when there were no tremors in the hamburger stand industry) overnight in almost all places that you can think of (okay maybe not at trinoma, glorietta, megamall) but there must be hundreds sprouting like mushrooms. I am talking about Angel's Hamburger!!!

And how did they cause a tsunami, by offering Buy One, Take ONe!


(courtesy of angel hamburger)

No, just like Burger Machine, Angel's Hamburger never exhibited.

At the Food and Drink Asia 2010 expo at the WTC, I saw 2 franchises for hamburger:


(courtesy of jc fran burger)


(courtesy of galaxy burger)

Question: When is a Scramble not a Scramble? . . . . . . . . Answer: When It is a SCRAMBOI! Huh?

As part of the Scramble Bandwagon, Wynski is offering their version of the Scramble franchise called Scramboi and get this, they are offering it at only P50,000!!!


(courtesy of Scramboi Wynski Enterprises)

NOTICE ALSO THAT AT p5-p10-p15, THEY ARE OFFERING A LOWER SELLING PRICE THAN ICEBREAKER WHICH SELLS AT P7-P10-P17!!!!!

Whatever Happened to the Hong Kong Style Fried Noodle Craze???

If this year it is all about Scramble, last year was all about the HongKong Style Fried Noodles.

Remember Hong Kong Style Fried Noodles at the St Francis Square with their super-long lines of people waiting for their orders of P26 Fried Noodle topped with 2 pcs siomai and garnished with your choice of Spicy, Sweet soy sauce???

How about Taipan Fried Noodle that used to be in all the exhibits???

At the Food and Drinks Asia 2010 Expo at the World Trade Center WTC, I only saw one offering Fried noodle, see below:


(courtesy of Hongkong Fried noodle)

Don't Just Rely on Signages. Use the Power of Word-Of-Mouth

(courtesy of safetysign.com)

Imagine being relocated from a very high-traffic part of the Mall to a virtual DEAD ZONE and you can imagine the anxiety and worry that I went through when that just happened to my Lotto Outlet just last week.

To top it all, there are about 5 or 6 other lotto outlets within spitting distance (5o meters or less) from where I was located. The new site is exactly 80 steps (50 meters) away from my high-traffic site.

I knew my lotto customers will not be able to find me as they got used to just seeing my lotto outlet just upon entering the mall.

I placed a Tarp signage (in Bright Yellow background and Blue "Lotto" word across it) but only a handful saw the sign during our first 7 days and you know what brought my loyal lotto customers back , it was WORD-OF-MOUTH, to wit:

1. I stood on my old site and started giving out PCSO Lotto Playcards for them to place their bets and directed (escorted) them to my site;

2. The sales personnel of former

neighboring tenants who also pointed my lotto customers in the right direction;

3. Security Roving Guards also played a prominent role as many lotto customers asked the guards where my lotto outlet is now located;

4. And like a snowball effect, those lotto customers who were fortunate to find my lotto outlet during the crucial first 5 days also spread the word to their neighbors and friends who were also my lotto customers.

Signages are good but nothing like going out there and talking to your loyal lotto customers.

The Number One Lotto Outlet Sells P15 Million worth of Scratch It Cards

Do you know that the Number One Lotto Outlet which is owned by Mr. Lucio de Castro is targeted to sell about P15 Million worth of Scratch It Cards a year???

That means a lot of people are just
plain crazy about Scratch It Cards and this spells only GOOD NEWS for Mr. de Castro!!!

To learn more about Profit Margins on Scratch It cards and Learn How to Set-up and Operate your Own Lotto OUtlet, call pldt 514-2905 or text 0922-8831225 right now.

A Scramble Question: How Do You Maintain the Low Price Without Affecting Franchisee Profit Margins?

I was at a photo shoot with other newbie photographers and I met this guy, also Richard, and he was a Marketing Consultant and we got to talking about the Scramble phenomenon.




(Picture of Manila Scramble kiosk by foodtriptayo.com)

My concerns:

1. The Main Selling Proposition is a Cool Drink at a Really Low Price. With retail price at P7-P10-P17, how do you keep it at that level with rent and CUSA going up every year (and if the mall sees you are making a lot of money, they might even increase beyond the 10% or even ask for percentage of sales) and minimum wage in Manila is now more than P400/day?

2. If selling price goes up to P20 or P25, will that not be too close to Zagu at P30-P36 in a bigger cup size?

3. How about the traditional Gulaman drink at P10/8oz cup sold with the favorite siomai?

4. When Dunkin Donut recently raised SRP of their donuts from P10 to P12 or 20% increase, the size still remained the same (which seems to be getting smaller) but the margin to the franchisee remained the same.

5. A Scoop of Milko ice cream is P12, Mang Inasal sorbetes at P10 and when Selecta does a promo, P5/cone!!! Are these competiting products to the scramble??

6. Plastic cups used for the scramble is petroleum based and gas prices have been on the uptrend. Scramble in the provinces use recycled plastic (just by looking at the inferior quality of the cups) but you cannot use that in the malls.

7. What if another scramble outfit comes up offering lower prices and having all outlets owned by franchisee to keep his cost down, will not that cause a price-war?

8. On the subject of rent, aside from paying rent for your food cart, you might be asked by the mall to pay another rent for your STORAGE ROOM (usually in the basement parking of the mall) where you keep your freezer or coleman/ice chest and other packaging supplies)

WILL APPRECIATE IF YOU AS THE READER CAN GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS BY CLICKING ON THE "LEAVE A COMMENT" button below the above Post title.

My Purpose of This Blog Is. . . .

Set-up a Business Network for the purpose of

1. Validate viability of a business concept with the Community of Like-minded would-be entrepreneurs and existing small small business owners

2. Share business ideas with the hope of setting-up joint ventures (especially since franchises are getting unaffordable)

3. Communicate sources of cheap funds and cheaper bank loans or banks that are more kind to small business owners

4. Learn Best Business Practices of fellow small entrepreneurs

5. Sounding Board of Franchises that are good to have and those to best avoid (I have heard comments like "its only the franchisor that is making money)

6. Link-up buyers and sellers

7. Looking For and For Sale Bulletin Board

If you wish to comment on the List or improve on what I have said, please click on the Leave a Comment button just below the title of this Post. Thank you.

Big Group Rumored to Have Just Closed Agreement to Set-up Lotto Outlets in all MRT Stations!!!!

Unconfirmed reports have it that a Group has bagged the contract to set-up PCSO Lotto Outlets in all MRT Stations.

With the set-up of all these PCSO Lotto Outlets, it will allow the Big Group to aggressively market its line of Scratch It Cards.

Yuppie Market presents The Scramble Clone Wars

If my post title sounds Luke Skywalker-ish, it is because I am a Star Wars fan and I especially liked the original versions--Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back.

During the WOFEX 2010, there is this company called Ferna Corporation, a supplier of food ingredients. I understand from the Ferna Saleperson that they can provide the food ingredients to make your own Zagu or Scramble. In fact she showed me a bag of strawberry powder.


Chef Ronald of the Ferna Morning show was on hand fielding questions from a big crowd of would-be small business owners about products to sell using Ferna's food ingredients.


(Ferna's range of products from soft serve ice cream --think Mr softy, etc, shake powder -- think Zagu?, and other food powders-- Do-It-Yourself Scramble)

While it can be said that there is nothing like getting the original franchise (Icebreaker Scramble, Buzzbox Scramble, Scramble King) as presumably they have the system in place, some questions come to mind:

1. Wont the Scramble buyers get so tired with seeing so many brands of scrambles (both good-taste and bland-taste)?

2. Since Scramble has basic components, can't outfits like Ferna concoct the taste of any Scramble-type and copy it in a way that the customer can no longer differentiate? (Filipinos are known to be good copycats OUCH!)

3. Packaging will spell the difference but as I wrote in a previous blog post, Icebreaker Scramble and Scramble King have similar product and packaging appearances (http://wp.me/pBaHK-9F)

4. From the side of the cannot-afford small business owner, does it make business-sense to forgo the P200,000 franchise fee and have Ferna make your own Scramble and then, get a professional printer with a good graphic artist create a drop-dead bad-ass kind of packaging to wow the scramble crowd?

I might be inclined to get the Market leader of the Scramble craze based on taste, market reach which correlates to market promotion, quality of organization, efficiency of logistics and lastly, profit margin for me.

It is no easy thing to make your own product and brand but what if you cannot swing the high cost of entry of the franchisor?


I hope you guys reading this can send me your comments. See ya! http://wp.me/pBaHK-9F

Another Lotto Customer Wins P7,700 Playing Red Hot Seven Scratch It Card

Today August 9, 2010, a customer won P7,700 playing Red Hot Lotto Scratch It Card!!!!!!

Actually many winners today. . . Another won P1,000 playing Cash Extravaganza Scratch It card.

I am always happy when my Lotto customers WIN BIG in the Scratch It cards as it creates excitement in my Lotto Outlet. Many people keep on asking HOW MUCH DID SHE WIN? WHAT SCRATCH IT CARD DID SHE BUY? I WANT THAT SCRATCH IT CARD!!

Sargo Scratch It card is one of the lesser-know Scratch It cards but after somebody won P20,000 two days ago, everbody wants to buy one!!!

If you want to know how to set-up and operate your OWN LOTTO OUTLET, call me at 514-2905 or text me at 0922-8831225 and ask how you can avail of my consultation. I will discuss about the Lotto business based on my own experience as an authorized Lotto agent. See you.

Young Lady Wins P20,000 Playing PCSO LOTTO Sargo Scratch It Card at my Lotto Outlet

Today is August 7, 2010 and just a little after lunchtime, a young lady Ms. J with a lady friend bought a PCSO Lotto Sargo Scratch It Card for P20. After she had scratched the Scratch It Card, she coyly presented the Scratch It card to me.



She did not say anything about exchanging it for cash but she seemed nervous. I assumed she won a minor price and just wanted it exchanged for another Lotto Scratch It card. When I checked the Scratch It card to see if it is a winning card, I was surprised as she WON P20,000!!!!

This is the second month in a row that somebody won something big. Last July 3, 2010, another woman won P50,000 playing the PCSO Lotto Tic-Tac-Mu Scratch It Card.

THIS IS VERY GOOD GOOD NEWS BECAUSE WHEN MY LOTTO CUSTOMER WINS BIG THRU SCRATCH IT CARDS, IT MAKES THEM WANT TO BUY MORE LOTTO SCRATCH IT CARDS AND NOT ONLY THAT,
THEY ALSO WILL BUY LOTTO TICKETS!!!

Lastly, you earn better margins selling Lotto Scratch It cards.

To learn How to Set-up and Operate Your Own Lotto Outlet, call me at pldt (+632) 514-2905 or text LOTTO SETUP and your full name to 0922-8831225.

WOFEX 2010 WORLD FOOD EXPO: A WEALTH OF SMALL BUSINESS IDEAS

Today, I spent the better part of the day going over the many exhibits at the Wofex 2010 World Food Expo. The arrangement is a bit weird as the Expo is held at the SMX and the World Trade Expo. There is a free shuttle between sites but I wish they had consolidated in one area.

At the SMX was the infamous Turkish Flour exhibits (protests have been done at the SMX and at the huge newspaper ads in recent days about it being poison, tainted and what have you) and of course, the culinary contests. Poor the contestants as most of the people I think were at the World Trade Center where there are more things to see for small business ideas.

Aside from the restaurant and cooking equipment suppliers, there were franchise companies displayingtheir booths and franchise packages which I will discuss in next few posts starting with the Scramble King franchise in the previous post.

PCSO Lotto Outlet : The All-Weather Small Business

It was very hot this morning but I noticed the Lucky Circle Lotto Outlet at the Ground floor of Megamall Bldg B (across the Dunkin donut ) was encircled with eager lotto players. When I got to my Lotto outlet, the story was the same with many lotto players lining-up and many others buying Scratch It cards but the weather is the opposite, it was raining really hard!!!

How about that? The Lotto business is weather-resistant and all-weather (the mall has a generator set in case of power failure). I talked to some lotto players and they said they have been betting on the same number combination since 1995 when the lotto in the philippines started and they have to bet every day as they never know when their numbers will win!

There is that fear that their numbers will win on the day they decide not to play (and this has happened to some of my Lotto customers already).

PCSO Lotto Outlet : Typhoon Ondoy & The All-Weather Small Business

It was the day Typhoon Ondoy struck Metro Manila.  Outside of SM North EDSA, flood waters were rising. The stretch from EDSA/Roosevelt Ave to Balintawak was experiencing floodwaters more than a 2-storey house high. People were climbing the still-under-construction LRT Roosevelt Station Rails just to cross over to Roosevelt Ave.  The Mall Admin Office where my Lotto was located finally announced we have to close by 5pm.

courtesy of Pinoy Gigs

When 5pm came and we started to close, customers who could not bet in other Lotto outlets due to the floods were rushing to bet with us and they were complaining WHY DO WE HAVE TO CLOSE SO EARLY!!!!

How about that? The Lotto business is weather-resistant and all-weather (the mall has a generator set in case of power failure). I talked to some lotto players and they said they have been betting on the same number combination since 1995 when the lotto in the philippines started and they have to bet every day as they never know when their numbers will win!

There is that fear that their numbers will win on the day they decide not to play (and this has happened to some of my Lotto customers already).

PFA 2010 Franchise Expo: Father Orbos Says Mass

Today I start a series of posts about my visit to the Philippine Franchise Association or PFA 2010 Expo held at the SMX, Mall of Asia Complex.

I start-off my post with the Mass officiated by Father Jerry Orbos. As is his style, he was insightful aside from being humorous and these are some of the tidbits that I gathered from his marvelous sermon:

1. We should work but we should also PRAY.

2. In the end, out purpose in Life is to go to HEAVEN.

3. Do not worry. Be HAPPY.



4. We have 2 objectives in Life-- one, we should live a PEACEFUL LIFE and two, WE SHOULD BE INSTRUMENTS OF PEACE. That is all there is to Life.

5. We should never lose our HUMOR.

And with that, I WELCOME EVERYBODY TO MY TAKE ON THE 2010 PHILIPPINE FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION EXPO AT THE SMX

PFA 2010 Franchise Expo: Father Orbos Says Mass

Today I start a series of posts about my visit to the Philippine Franchise Association or PFA 2010 Expo held at the SMX, Mall of Asia Complex.

I start-off my post with the Mass officiated by Father Jerry Orbos. As is his style, he was insightful aside from being humorous and these are some of the tidbits that I gathered from his marvelous sermon:

1. We should work but we should also PRAY.

2. In the end, out purpose in Life is to go to HEAVEN.

3. Do not worry. Be HAPPY.



4. We have 2 objectives in Life-- one, we should live a PEACEFUL LIFE and two, WE SHOULD BE INSTRUMENTS OF PEACE. That is all there is to Life.

5. We should never lose our HUMOR.

And with that, I WELCOME EVERYBODY TO MY TAKE ON THE 2010 PHILIPPINE FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION EXPO AT THE SMX