Each month, you'll find new promotions here
designed to  increase customer count & generate sales
using the latest marketing & promotion techniques
for nightclub, bar, restaurant & hotel operations.

Promo Ideas
Promotions Page

The Book Store

June, 2008

Promotion Calendar of Events For June
June 5 - Gentlemen Prefer Blonds
June 12 - Bitchin' Beach Bash
June 12 - "B.Y.O.B." - Build Your Own Bikini Contest

PLEASE NOTE: Although the promotions listed each month on this page are designed primarily for a nightclub environment, they can be easily modified so as to work in a bar/pub, restaurant, cybercafé or any business open to the public.

The key here is to be organized, have a game plan. Promos are like little mini-stage productions: They need to be planned, budgeted, cast, rehearsed & directed. Just like in pro sports, each member of your team needs to know what his/her role is, what's expected of them. Ultimately, it's your team, your employees who make the promo succeed and, make cash register ring!!

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Thurs. June 5 - Gentlemen Prefer Blonds
Thurs. June 12 - Bitchin' Beach Bash
Thurs. June 12 - B.Y.O.B. Kick-Off

Aside from baseball, there are many special reason to watch sports in June. Consider how to take advantage of this activity.

NBA Play-Offs - Finals

Sunday, June 15 - Father's Day
Friday. June 20 - First Day of Summer

If you're an operator who does lunch business or brunch, you should begin now to develop your special menu & marketing plans.

Notice on our Calendar of Events in June, we are continuing to suggest you schedule a fun event every Thursday. The idea here is that you plan on turning this day (or Wednesday if that works better for you) into another Saturday night. Most likely that this day has the possibility to double in sales.

Gentlemen Prefer Blonds

June 5 - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Everyone loves the golden age of Hollywood. How about if we capitalize by creating a Marilyn Monroe or Madonna look-a-like contest that has a fun twist.

What to do:

Make up a stylish flyer/invite like the example shown here. (or let us do it for you) Print at least 500 & have your printer make several large blow-up veloxes of the flyer to use as posters in the high-traffic areas of the club.

Fax a copy to local offices.

Organize a PR team of employees to hand-deliver an invitation to every clothing store & hair salon in the area.

Instruct your door personnel to hand one to every lady who leaves the club for 5 days prior to the event.

Goal: To get every girl who enters to actually "become" Norma Jean or Madonna complete with blonde wig & all of her mannerisms, expressions.

The highlight of the night - A Movie Legend's Look-A-Like contest around midnight. Your crew motivates all the regulars to dress up like Marilyn Monroe, Jessica Simpson, Brittany Spears or Madonna in evening gowns blonde wigs for the party.

The spice: To include the guys in the fun. You're also looking for a dashing leading man to be her date for a limo night on the town. Encourage the guys to become, Brad Pitt,
George Clooney, Mat Damon, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Redford, Clark Gable, Robert Redford. Major potential here.

Use judges & also audience applause to determine winners, then;
MAKE 'EM SWEAT !

Bitchin' Beach Bash

June 12th - Bitchin' Beach Bash - Most people are really geared up for summer by June 1 so we like to go with the flow & do a splashy beach party or two during the month.

Decorate the club with fish net, surf boards, etc. Get the crew dressed down in Hawaiian shirts & shorts.

Sail boarding, surfing & bikini beach ambient videos go great in June.

Get with the bar staff, come up with a menu of shooters & exotic beach drinks. For some ideas, suggestions, check out the Bartender's Page here.

Package a bucket of beer - Popular beer merchandising trick used almost everywhere in Mexico; Consists of a medium-size bucket filled with ice & usually 4 small size bottles of Corona or other Mexican brands.

Dust off some of those old, funky beach classics from the Beach Boys. Yes, even "Louie Louie", "Tequila" & "Limbo Rock".

This is also your B.Y.O.B. contest kick-off....nice tie-in. We're layering 2 promos here for maximum impact for the day.

Plus, maybe a nerf volley ball tourney. (They can be a blast!)

Yes, you're right; you have done this type of goofy promo before....& you know what? If you organize & really get into the part, it still Works! ALOHA!!

And, a Beach Party serves as a great lead-in for......

6 Week Promo - "B.Y.O.B. 2007"

 Build Your Own Bikini

June 12 (suggested start date) - B.Y.O.B. - Build Your Own Bikini Contest - Preliminary rounds run 4 weeks followed by the semi- finals on July 3rd & the finals on July 10th, the 6th week of the contest.

B.Y.O.B. can be an annual  major event promo. The idea: contestants create a bikini using their own ingenuity. Focus energy on organization & prep so that the event is detailed, professional.

What to do:

Establish contest guidelines. Example: Anything goes except swimsuit material. That opens the door for material like a flag, potato sack, t-shirts, bumper stickers, plastic seashells, wrapping paper, whip cream, etc.

Stress creativity. The wilder the better. Sea shells, bumper stickers, cups & saucers. Can you imagine a girl using a jock strap? We've had reports of gals using everything from leather straps & belts to sea shells.

Develop a set of standards for the judges. Possible: award points (1-10) ten being the highest score for originality, poise, personality & crowd reaction.

Each week, make sure that you have 4-5 neutral, reliable judges for the event.

For the semis & finals, make up a blue-ribbon panel of celebrity judges...local radio & TV types, personalities.

Create an official looking printed judges form. Good idea to supply each judge with a clipboard & pencil.

Judges pick 3 semi-finalists each week. That means you have 12 semi-finalists who are reduced to 6 for the finals.

Important! This is not an "automatic pilot" contest. It will be successful only to the extent that you & each of your staff actively "sell" the idea to the public & potential contestants.

Give yourself plenty of lead time. Get your DJ involved. Set a goal that your team will have a certain number of contestants signed up prior to each event.

Create  a really super "image" flyer for the event. Post the full size 8 1/2 x 11 version on your windows, mirrors, rest room doors, college dormitories while the 1/4 size version is used for hand outs. Check out this kewl example here.

Have buttons made up that say, "Ask Me About B.Y.O.B."

Instruct all employees to wear this button daily beginning at least a full week prior to the first contest.

Make up a sales pitch for each of your employees. Type up a phone response sheet & brief those who answer the phone & field inquiries.

Encourage several employees to create their own bikini costumes to assist in promoting the event.

TIP: Plan now!! No waiting 'til the night of the contest & "hoping we have some contestants." Get a half dozen regulars signed up in advance so the first week starts off with a bang! 

Create a detailed plan, get organized & MAKE IT HAPPEN !!

Brainstorm with your CMT. (Creative Marketing Team) Make up a hit-list of potential co-sponsors for the event. Consider radio stations, clothing stores, travel agencies, car dealers, regular customers who own their own businesses.

Cash is still the best prize motivator. A trip to a beach & clothes also work. Each week, the 3 semi-finalists get a prize. Each of the six people who make the finals gets cash & prizes. Three of the six finalists get cash or prizes.

Add up the total value of all the prizes....then promote the contest as "The $2,500 Build Your Own Bikini Contest" rather than just saying, "....the winners each week get $50 & a chance at the top prize, $200". One sounds much more exciting than the other.

Example:

Now, let's add up all these prizes:

This 6 week contest will cost you just $1,200 in cash plus the Miami airfare & hotel @ $700. That's less than $2,000 in cash for a six week contest or about $320 a week plus your advertising & marketing.

Use global terms in all your marketing plans. The bigger, the better concept. Examples: ".....area-wide competition", ".....we expect contestants from all over Southern California" or, "It's the Florida B.Y.O.B. !!"

Another hit: "The Surf Club has been chosen to host the First Annual South Florida Build Your Own Bikini Contest!!"

Oh yes; if you want to, this contest can be opened to both male & females.

Each week, have contestants present & signed up 60 minutes prior to the contest. 15 minutes prior, gather all contestants & judges somewhere away from the action. Do a "briefing" for the group. Explain exactly what you want each person to do......having the entire event scripted out, professional.

Prepare a standard profile sheet for each contestant. Andy Warhol said every person will be famous at least once for 15 minutes. Strive to give each person who enters recognition in a positive way.

Here is a typical narration for the MC as each contestant parades in front of the audience:

"Our next contestant is Miss Bonnie Minor who is a buyer for The Bon Dept. Store. Bonnie's hobbies include jogging & sports. Her favorite movie is "Silence of the Lambs"; her favorite male is Michael Jordan. Bonnie built her own bikini using ..........."

HOT VIDEO TIPS - Pre-promo your B.Y.O.B. by showing bikini videos on your TV monitors like "The Makingng of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue".

More - Video the contest each week, show replays to promo the events. You might even edit down the whole contest including the finals & create a video; "The 2008 Beach Club B.Y.O.B. Swimsuit Video."

More promo ideas.... We’ve just scratched the surface here. If you want to learn more, I’d like to invite you to read more about "Success Management Systems" by ordering our new book, "Bar/Nightclub Management & Marketing - 101 Ways To Make The Cash Register Ring." It's a  powerful tool for creating traffic & increasing sales using proven marketing, promotions & improved operations techniques. Details here.