Football preview: Making the most of the new season

Related tags Soft drinks Fifa world cup Football

How the World Cup qualifiers can boost football in your pub; details of Champions League matches; how to make the most of soft drinks on match days;...

How the World Cup qualifiers can boost football in your pub; details of Champions League matches; how to make the most of soft drinks on match days; what WKD and Budweiser are doing for the new season.

The World Cup qualifiers can kick-start a new season of football at your pub, argues Punch Taverns marketing director Geoff Brown.

All the home nations take part in crucial World Cup qualifying matches this year as the battle for places at Germany 2006 really hots up and this is an ideal opportunity for pubs to remind people about the great experience of watching big football matches in their local.

Taking place near the start of the season it could well encourage several return visits for other league, cup and international games over the following months - so make the most of it.

The key point with all sporting events is visibility. Use posters and chalkboards to advertise matches so people can make their viewing plans with your pub in the forefront of their minds. Tell people weeks in advance so they can rely on your pub as their regular venue to watch major sporting events.

Pubs need to help generate a positive feeling in the build-up to matches by capitalising on the patriotic feeling that surrounds all national sporting events.

Promotional offers need to be carefully and responsibly planned so people should be encouraged to come to the pub because of the environment rather than cheap drinks offers.

Remember that price promotions are not always necessary if the pub is well known as a place to enjoy sporting events.

This can be done by providing table service or selling multi-pint pitchers to drink during a game, rather than customers having to struggle through to busy bars at half time and full time when staff are most stretched.

By creating an enjoyable atmosphere to watch sport the most proactive outlets can generate a winning formula and see their profits rise.

World Cup qualifiers

September 3
Scotland v Italy
Wales v England
September 7
Northern Ireland v England
Ireland v France
October 8
England v Austria
Scotland v Belarus
October 12
Wales v Azerbaijan
Ireland v Switzerland
England v Poland

Soft drinks

As soft drinks play an increasingly important role in pubs it's important not to leave them out of the mix on match days. Britvic's category director Andrew Marsden points out that with Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes now prime slots for pay-per-view games, they are just as relevant to football fans as families.

"Not only are they key times for food sales - and soft drinks are consumed on 79 per cent of food occasions - but also, for many, it is far too early to begin drinking alcohol," he says.

"Saturday is, of course, the most important day in the footballing week and the mid-afternoon results and score updates are a big pull for pub-goers. Many people will use soft drinks at this time as pacers to prolong their afternoon without jeopardising their plans for Saturday night.

"Soft drinks also have a role to play on Monday evenings and at mid-week games as most people are back to work the next day and calm their alcohol consumption to prevent a hangover."

Also, the leading colas have strong associations with the national game. Coca-Cola sponsors the Championship and Pepsi has worked hard to link the brand to the world's biggest stars, including England captain David Beckham and France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

Pepsi is also a supporter of Team England and the FA and is capitalising on that sponsorship with its new Thirst for Football campaign in a two-pronged attack - Pepsi Soccer Schools and Pepsi's England Manager Masterclass in which young players and their school coaches respectively will get the benefit of the expertise of Sven Goran Eriksson and his players.

"More young people will be inspired to take an interest in football by improving their skills and, most importantly, by having fun - no matter what their playing ability," says Britvic's brand director Richard Collins.

Shorts

WKD is reinforcing its links with football - and communicating its brand message to millions of young adults - as the new season kicks off.

The on-trade's number two RTD (ready-to-drink) has lined up an offbeat mix of advertising and sponsorship. Washroom ads communicating the "Have you got a WKD side?" theme are already running in pubs and will appear at major football grounds in August. That will be backed up with commercials during key televised games portraying everyday characters who feel they have to show off their "WKD side".

"Football is the key leisure activity for our target audience of 18 to 30-year-old men so it provides a great way of communicating our brand message to them," says Karen Salters, marketing director of Beverage Brands. "As always, we are doing things slightly differently to other drinks brands."

The brand has already been demonstrating its football credentials this summer by advertising during the FIFA Confederations Cup on Channel five and sponsoring a tournament for British Club 18 to 30 holidaymakers across Europe.

As the official beer of the FA Premier League, not to mention sponsor of last season's top three - Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal - Budweiser is the brand to go to for official merchandise to support your screenings.

For the 2005/2006 Premiership season and the World Cup qualifiers, Bud is producing new point-of-sale kits including posters, fixture lists, outdoor banners, glassware and barstaff t-shirts, all designed to help licensees attract customers to their promotions and highlight what they've got to offer.

Bud's True Footwork state-of-the-art interactive skills game gets consumers to compete in a penalty shootout on a football simulator, not just against fellow drinkers but against pub-goers throughout the UK. The player with the highest score at the end of the tournament will win tickets to a 2006 FIFA World Cup match.

Champions League

UEFA Champions League group matches are being played on the following dates. The Tuesday games will be screened on ITV and ITV Digital and the Wednesday games are on Sky.