How to Score a MULO Touchdown: 7 Winning Points

Multi-location retailers, restaurants, and even service businesses (the MULO ecosystem) stand to benefit from football season — if they have the right marketing and sales playbook!

Applebee’s (a 42-year-old brand with 1,600+ locations) forged a deal with the NFL.

But even those brands who are late to the game this football season can profit from fan love.

1. The most obvious tie-in is the MULO restaurant and fast-casual industry. Groups and singles will gather every weekend (or whenever other games are played) to consume wings, beer, and other fall snacks. The National Chicken Council tracks wing consumption, which last year topped 1.4 billion just during the Super Bowl. Restaurants have a huge opportunity to build their own fan bases, capturing data on sports fans and building loyalty programs and special deals around that. If space permits, host watch parties at your venue and build relationships with local groups and alumni associations. Support your efforts with social media marketing and engage fans to post UGC (user-generated content), to drive even more traffic.
2. C-stores and groceries can score big points with snacks and beverages. Whole Foods has a page on its website dedicated to football season snacks and cooking sites offer up recipes (including this one that only uses C-store ingredients).
3. MULO hotels and motels can put together game-day packages for college games. True fans will travel far to see their favorite teams play.
4. Retailers and groceries are launching their own media channels. They deliver a perfect place to reach fans in the aisles and on their phones.
5. UGC can be critical throughout the football season. Identify sports fans within your database and incentivize them to share your specials and record content during games.
6. Optimize your listings to make sure that fans can easily find your deals and gatherings.
7. Some consumers don’t care about football. They are prospects too! Non-fans may be looking for activities (like shopping and other entertainment experiences) while their loved ones are glued to televisions. Retailers are already prepping for Halloween and the December holidays, but they should encourage consumers to shop — offering deals and activities on those days when football fans are occupied.

If you want to be an MVP for your MULO brand, agency or tech company, please join us at Street Fight LIVE on November 7th. A fantastic panel will discuss the entertainment and sportstainment wave and how to leverage it to generate new customers and sales. Score!