Rugby World Cup: Pubs prepare for rugby fest

SINCE THE heady days of England¹s rugby World Cup win in 2003, brands and pubcos have been rampaging like a prop forward to get a piece of the rugby action.

Greene King has strengthened by signing a deal in November 2006 to become the official beer of England rugby. Brands including Heineken, Guinness and Magners have ramped up their sponsorship of various rugby clubs and leagues.

Pubcos have raced to give rugby a profile approaching that of football in their sites.

The marketing push is of course stepping up a gear ahead of the World Cup.

Heineken, the official sponsor of the World Cup, will be supplying outlets with glassware and World Cup-related point-of-sale (PoS) material. Drinkers will get a Œtry¹ stamp for every pint of Heineken they buy. They can redeem six of these for a limited edition World Cup pint glass.

Chris Duffy, Heineken UK customer marketing controller, says: ³The Rugby World Cup is one of the most exciting and highly anticipated events in the sporting calendar, and it offers unique opportunities for outlets to encourage excitement, increase footfall, drive sales and ultimately boost profits.²

Official beer sponsor​

Greene King IPA is returning to TV advertising after a four-year break to leverage its status as official beer of the England team. The advertising promotes the best-selling cask ale as Œthe pint with nothing to prove¹, and the campaign will also feature outdoor and press adverts.

IPA PoS kits will be distributed to pubs and customers will be offered promotional give-aways.

Greene King¹s managed division has put together a Œfast finger food range¹, fare that is quick and easy both to prepare and eat during matches.

Pubco giant Punch has produced a France 07 promotional guide for retailers. This includes a pub quiz for customers, drinks offers, and a range of food options from Brakes. Managers are also being encouraged to organise events and activities for customers, such as shirt raffles and face painting.

Six hundred outlets will receive a Wells Bombardier PoS kit. Chris Lewis, director of marketing for Wells and Young¹s says: ³We find that the best way of increasing sales at these times of year is to really build on the England affiliation. If you set an atmosphere in your pub that makes people proud of being English, then they are more likely to return to your pub.² Research on behalf of Guinness suggests the opportunity represented by the World Cup. Half of all men watch sport on television in pubs and bars, and around 45 per cent of Guinness¹ target consumers are now aware of the strong link between Guinness and rugby, according to the survey.

Encouraged by these findings, Guinness is to launch a heavyweight £6m marketing campaign. According to senior brand manager, Louise Curran, Guinness performed strongly in 2003, the last World Cup year.

³Our association with rugby has increased since then. Forty-four per cent of our customers spontaneously associate us with rugby, a figure which has almost doubled in one year. On that basis, we are very excited about this event,² she says.

Punch¹s tips

• Order your promotional kits early and get them on display so your pub becomes well known as the place to see all the big matches
• Retain customers for longer by providing snacks before the game begins or run a prize draw to be held an hour after the match has finished
• Make sure customers are able to watch the matches without any distractions. It¹s worth considering a pre-order system for half-time drinks or table service
• Offer food that is quick and easy to serve ­ hand-held food is usually best
• Be prepared. Make sure staff are fully briefed about what¹s on offer and check you¹ve got enough stock of everything you need such as paper plates, cutlery and serviettes.