I love football. And I'm a sucker for products advertised during the games. Shoot, against my girlfriend's request, I wear Brut After Shave. In 1998, I was attracted to the green bottle smell-good because Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and his attractive girlfriend said I should wear the stuff. I just happen to like the way Brut feels against my skin, too. But that's beside my point.
According to a 2004 ESPN poll, 68 percent of Americans are NFL fans. And the fanatics, like me, will patronize your restaurant if you target them. Just ask Buffalo Wild Wings, McDonald's, Wendy's, Checkers Drive-In, Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, Penn Station East Coast Subs, Subway, Quiznos Sub, Firehouse Subs, Taco Bell, Inta Juice and Wingstop. All of these brands have hired football player spokespersons or have developed unique marketing campaigns to draw the pigskin-loving crowd.
For the pizza and wings-based brands, it makes business sense to appeal to football lovers. After all, football season sales account for almost half of their business and Super Bowl Sunday is by far their busiest day of the year. (Read also Super Bowl Sunday is big business)
But who would have thought that a juice company – Inta Juice – would use Oakland Raiders' Randy Moss to build its brand? Not me, that's for sure.
In March, Moss signed a franchise agreement with the chain.
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Think about all the marketing campaigns this 30-unit juice company can create centered on Randy Moss. In football-hungry areas, especially, Inta Juice can capitalize on its star franchisee. Stores can boast giant posters of (arguably) the NFL's most prolific receiver. Moss might even show up at his own store for an autograph session. (But I doubt it. The Raiders are lucky if he comes to practice. Just ask his former team, the Minnesota Vikings.)
I concede, however, that not every restaurant will be able to attract somebody like Randy Moss. But there's no excuse for not tapping into this mostly male demographic. Here are five proven tactics you can implement to market to football fans:
5. Name a menu item after the local team's mascot. Wendy's did this in its own backyard – Ohio. To attract Ohio State fans, the nation's third-largest burger chain launched the Brutus Buckeye Burger Aug. 28 and will offer it through the football season. The company also plans to offer a Fix n' Mix Frosty with mini-Buckeye peanut butter and chocolate candies.
4. Accept football ticket stubs as coupons. This can be done at any level, including high school and junior high football leagues. You can post signs visible at the stadium entrance to drive game watchers to your store.
| ESPN NFL - male | 72% |
| Men 25-54 | 43% |
| HHI $75K+ | 39% |
| $62,200 Median HHI | n/a |
| 4+ Years College | 31% |
| Internet Access Source: Nielsen Media Research, 2004 | 72% |
3. Advertise in stadiums. Perhaps the most-undervalued form of advertising, signage at a football game can pay big-time dividends. Not only do the fans at the game see your brand, but television cameras and still photography just might capture your sign during a "big play." If you sponsor the end zone, who knows, your brand logo might very well show up on ESPN's SportsCenter.
2. Buy radio and television spots during local, regional or national shows (whatever your budget permits). Sports fans don't change the channel as much as daytime viewers. That's because we fans don't want to miss the big scoop. And according to ESPN's sales department, sports-fan-targeted ads are typically more appealing and funnier than ads about laundry soap and kitty litter.
