Alcohol consumption is in sharp decline within younger audiences and with that visits to bars and pubs are down too. Indeed, there have been whitepapers written exemplifying millennial’s distant relationship with alcohol compared to previous generations, with younger customers valuing a quality experience over pretty much everything else. *
So what can pubs and bars do to claw back the attention and custom of generation Y? The answer could lie in Television. Here are 5 ways that your pub or bar can connect with new customers through TV:
- Give them what they want
While the fineries of current pop culture might escape many over a certain age bracket, it is common knowledge that TV has been dictating what is generally popular among younger people for many years and will continue to do so. The popularity of the reality TV show Love Island during a fevered World Cup summer, with many episodes clashing with crucial matches, goes to show just how entrenched this kind of television is in the psyche of young people.
Such an engaged audience will be looking for relevant events and experiences, offering a perfect opportunity for your bar to profit. Something as simple as viewing parties for popular TV shows, particularly of the “reality” genre, offers millennials the social experience around pop culture relevance that they are looking for.
Shows like X-Factor or Strictly Come Dancing hold the potential for appealing to the largest demographics, with consistently high audience ratings and widespread mainstream appeal. There’s also the added bonus of both shows being on terrestrial television, easy to access and show provided you’re in line with the appropriate TV licensing!
- Break the norm
While instant internet connectivity might have killed the traditional pub quiz, the craft quickly adapted towards smart quizzes played on smartphones to offer a fun, interactive and modern event for a new wave of pub and bar-goers. If you’re wanting to attract this new wave too, you should look to do the same with your business.
For a generation that mainly values the experience over other factors, you should be looking to offer an experience that customers cannot get elsewhere. One way to do this is through leaning into pop culture, offering viewing parties for TV shows and throwing your business into catering to the interests of these customers.
- Grab new customers
A natural follow on from the previous point, by offering innovative and different experiences you can grab custom from a previously untapped market. People that might not normally frequent yours or any similar kind of establishment could be drawn in with the prospect of a different kind of experience outside of the traditional events that a pub or bar might normally put on. One benefit of this is capturing the attention of younger millennials like university students that are starting to go out more. When you establish yourself as a popular venue with this demographic you can land repeat customers for many years to come.
- Vanity and connectivity
A large part of the millennial experience is showing off what you’re doing to others – use this to your advantage. Having a photo-stand or photobooth setup provides even more incentive for customers to take pictures, tag your venue and share your event online with others, increasing your reach and potentially bringing in new customers. If your customer’s followers see their posts and are interested, they’re bound to want to come down and experience it for themselves. Organising your event in advance and posting about it on social media will give you an indication of how many people might attend on the night and also help you to build awareness.
- Think more than just “viewing party”
There are many facets to a TV-related event that can go beyond simply showing it on a big screen. The more themed, unique and novel your event is the more interested customers will be and the greater buzz you can generate from it. Get creative with what you offer, from limited show related menus and drinks to themed quizzes. It’s a simple but effective way to lend authenticity and individuality to your event that customers will love to both experience and share with others.
When putting on TV events, you can expect an influx of customers and the problems associated with it. To effectively manage your business, your staff, your stock as well as efficiently taking cash and card payments, you need an EPoS system that can provide you with all the services you need.
Boost your profits with the functional and flexible MAX EPoS. Get in touch with GS Systems today to find out how our systems can benefit your pub or bar.
