World Cup warm-up: World Cup ideas
Are you warmed up for the World Cup yet? Here are some ideas to bring some of the atmosphere of the greatest football tournament into your pub.
Limited edition glass bottles will spearhead Coca-Cola Enterprises' (CCE) World Cup activity. Nine million gold and silver Coca-Cola and Diet Coke bottles featuring the FIFA World Cup trophy are available across the on-trade from this month as part of the brand's biggest-ever football promotion.
A World Cup sponsor since 1974, Coke is also giving people a chance to win tickets to the tournament. Every day in June consumers can enter a draw to win two tickets, plus flights and accommodation, by sending a photo showing how much they, or their friends, love the FIFA World Cup.
More than 9,000 "activation kits" are being distributed to bars, restaurants and pubs and include banners, window stickers, table talkers, drip mats and back-bar displays, all featuring the World Cup trophy and FIFA trademarks.
"The original glass bottles and supporting material will help generate theatre in the on-trade in the build up to the tournament," says Andy Slee, trading director for the licensed channel at CCE. "The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar and can help licensees bring in a wider audience."
Lincolnshire brewer Batemans has kept the licensee in mind when designing its new beer. If England don't make it into the final stages, the pump clip for England Expects cask ale can be spun round to display backplate that reads "We've Blown It".
"Of course we wish England every success and hope they come back with the cup, but we're also responding to licensees' needs," explains marketing director Jaclyn Bateman. "England Expects is a speciality cask beer with a life-span that could exceed the success of the England team."
Available to Batemans' 70 tenancies and, through wholesalers, freetrade pubs from June, England Expects is an amber-coloured bitter with an ABV of four per cent.
Inspired Broadcast Networks has launched a new Itbox tournament game aimed at footie fans to liven up those quieter moments during the World Cup campaign.
More than 7,000 Itboxes across the UK are showcasing World Cup tourn-ament, in which pub-goers get the chance to compete with other players nationwide for the top spot on the leader board.
Winners will be rewarded with prizes money can't buy, such as a full hospitality package to a Premier League match, signed England shirts as well as cash. Tournaments run every two weeks and the national leaderboard is updated daily on every Itbox.
"The World Cup Tournament will help venues capitalise on increased footfall during televised matches by keeping football fans glued to the terminals during half-time," promised Inspired chief Anne de Kerckhove.
The world's biggest beermat manufacturer Quarmby has come up with new mats dressed in the flag of St George for its summer campaign.
Other mats are giving drinkers the chance to a dream holiday package to watch the lads play in Germany. Go to www.englandbeermats.co.uk for more information.
The old football in the urinal game, first seen during Euro 2004, is back for the World Cup in the guise of Wee Goal thanks to entrepreneur Alex Slater. He came across the game while ski-ing in Austria in the winter.
"After a few beers and several schnapps I went to the loo and saw the future," he says. " My pal and I spent the rest of the evening talking about just how good Wee Goal was and its potential in the UK.
"A week later I was in Cologne negotiating with the inventor. A week after that I was approached by another group doing something similar. Now I can't move for Wee Goals and its variants - 90,000 of them have been distributed in Germany so far."
As well a bringing a bit of fun to the gents, licensees might see an advantage in encouraging their customers' aim, thus reducing cleaning costs. Wee Goal can also be branded. For more info go to www.wee-goal.com
Not wanting to be left out of the fun entirely, the Scots will have a presence behind bars in the shape of Tullibardine Distillery's 1966 Vintage World Cup single malt.
A single Tullibardine cask from 1966 (number 2132 for cask-spotters) was specially selected by distillery manager John Black and a limited edition of about 385 bottles will be released for sale in mid May.
Strangely enough, the distillery is hoping for a repeat of England's 1966 victory and believes its new whisky will provide the perfect toast.
Case study: the Three Elms, Windsor
Even before the tournament kicks off the Three Elms in Windsor, Berkshire, is running a competition based on World Cup teams. Customers pay a pound for a team and if the team reaches the quarter finals, semi finals or final they win an instant prize.
There's a raffle, too, for an old England shirt signed by some of the 1966 World Cup winning side.
As well as devising its own activities, the Three Elms is using Greene King's "Come on England" promotion which gives customers the chance to win a variety of instant prizes including T-shirts, stress balls, playing cards or a giant England flag. To get people in for non-England matches the pub is also running a collector card scheme that will be stamped each time they visit to get a free T-shirt.
