Author: Brian Lee

INTRODUCTION

On Oct. 7, 2023, the University of Wisconsin football team’s game against Rutgers was streamed on Peacock. In my research of sports bars in and around Madison, Wis., only a handful got their act together in time to install Peacock (bars have to acquire a license and equipment).

Meanwhile, others tried to get it but didn’t start the process early enough. Still others had their social media posts on autopilot, with messages like, “Come watch the game here” when they didn’t actually have Peacock.

This situation should teach sports bar owners a valuable lesson of having their operations in order, which in turn can help with their marketing. That’s because the bars that had Peacock had a decided advantage over others that didn’t, and they could have (should have) marketed that unique asset.

Here’s how sports bars can improve their marketing through operations.

MONITOR SPORTS SCHEDULES FOR LOCAL TEAMS

I remember going to a bar shortly after lunch to watch the local team compete in a basketball tournament. The owner was there and was obviously not prepared for the huge rush of people in what normally would have been a quiet time. In other words, she had no idea that this tournament was going on and thus didn’t schedule any additional staff members.

This is another example of why it’s important to monitor sports schedules. The aforementioned football team’s kickoff times (and TV channels) are announced two Mondays ahead of the game (as are all Power 5 college football programs). For the Rutgers game, Peacock was announced as the carrier on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. That gave bar owners about two weeks to acquire Peacock, but many scrambled last-minute.

(Of note, this is a recurring issue. Years ago, the NFL Network was launched, and only a few bars carried it. Then came the ESPNU, and same thing. That was followed by the Big Ten Network, and so on, and so on.)

Make sure to announce that you will be (or will not be) showing these games at least several days in advance, and then repeat the announcement.

MONITOR SPORTS SCHEDULES FOR SUDDEN CHANGES OR ADDITIONS

Sports schedules can change. The NFL can flex games, for example. Whether it’s the owner, manager, marketing director or another staff member, someone needs to monitor schedule changes.

As another example, a team in a tournament or in the playoffs will likely have a variable schedule, depending on how far they make it. So if the team wins on Saturday and makes it to the championship game on Sunday, you need to be prepared.

Or, a professional team may be on the cusp of making the playoffs, and they only get in on the last day of the regular season. You need to monitor this situation as well.

In all these situations, be prepared to update your e-newsletter, website and/or social media channels to clearly note that you will have these games showing at your bar on these new days/times.