The One Soccer Promotion Every Sports Bar Should Run

Heineken has come up with a simple, but elegant soccer-themed promotion that we encourage everyone to participate in.

The World Cup is a bit of a mystery to many North American operators. We have sports on lockdown in these parts and football doesn’t mean soccer here. So, every four years when the World Cup boots off, our operators grow concerned they won’t be able to take advantage of the event.

This year’s tournament is further complicated by being in Russia where the time is 7 hours ahead of the US East Coast. Determining a promotion that will engage your football fans (sorry, it’s just not soccer outside the US) can be complicated.

So, here’s how the promotion works…

Heineken provides all the marketing materials you need to promote their RAISE THE SCARF promotion. Any guest that buys four bottles of Heineken at your establishment (in states where it is legal to require purchase) can text a key word to 85500 to receive a link to a special microsite to scan their receipt(s) to get a scarf. (Purchases do not have to be made at the same time). Guests can accumulate their beers over time which incentivizes them to come more frequently to your location. And, even better, they have the opportunity to earn more than one limited-edition Heineken, country-customized soccer scarf with 10 countries to choose from. In states where Heineken purchase cannot be required to participate, consumers can purchase the scarf and still be part of the action.

(Note: Heineken isn’t a sponsor of the World Cup but they are a sponsor of the MLS, so you can trust them to know their soccer promotions! Plus teaming up with national brands boosts sales.)

The beauty of this promotion is that it will cost you nothing. That’s because Heineken delivers all the POP materials necessary and makes it super easy for your guests to take advantage of the promotion. Additionally, it relieves you of any need to create your own idea.

Also, by working with a national brand you leverage their identity and guests take them more seriously.

This is especially valuable because this year the World Cup is in Russia.

The time change means most games are on very early on both the East and West coasts (download the schedules here). But even on the East Coast, most games are on during the late morning to early afternoon. The hardcore soccer fans will always come out, but it doesn’t give you much room for drink promotions limited to when games are being played. The Heineken program delivers a soccer promotion that can run well & easily (even when games aren’t being played).

The brand equity of a company like Heineken means your guests will respond more favorably to the value-proposition. Besides Heineken isn’t just a well-known and very popular brand; it’s also a premium product. This means getting guests to trade to Heineken also delivers more profit, too.

In all the years we have counseled operators…

…We have always been consistent in encouraging them to let their vendor partners give them real support. Sure, schwag is nice, but it’s sure nicer when they provide a real solution to a real challenge. The World Cup phenomenon is always a hard sell in North America but connecting your place to Heineken can only make that pitch easier. This is an out of the box promotion that you can drive with or without live games to deliver a premium item to your guests. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the sport of soccer with no extra fuss on your part.