CPR Promotional Check-Up

"I've Got This Club..."

We truly are in the Miracle Making Field. Screw Mother Theresa and brain surgeons. We're the real go-to, last resort, Hail Mary pass, people. Clients come to us with challenges and we are expected to fix them.

About once a month I'll get an email like this:

"Paige, we have a club that used to be on us but then went over to the competition for a few years. Attendance on Friday nights has been off ever since the gang shooting between rival coke cartels in the parking lot. They tried print but with the Legionairres spores in the ductwork and the high lead content in the tap water, they've been having trouble pulling what they used to. They're willing to try us on a interim basis but we have four weeks. And we're not allowed to mention the double homicide in the ladies bathroom last weekend, in any of our advertising. Can you get back to me with some ideas I can present to Mr. Escobar this afternoon?"

I got a similar request last week. They want to try and draw college kids. I'm immature but couldn't get my head around a 21 year-old mindset, so I did what you should do, I focus grouped it.

Know The Target

They want college night. There's nothing sadder then 49 year-old men (no matter how stunted they are developmentally) trying to create college nights. 98PXY has always had great club nights. Because they soak the interns for what's hot right now in terms of drinking games, dorm fun, etc.

So I reached out to Christina and Ruby formerly with Newcap, and my friend Cassie, who goes to UW-Stout. Here's what they suggested and please feel free to use.

• From Cassie. (Note, "bean bags" must be a Stout thing.) "they could have good/well known djs or bands, they could have like a certain night where they play bean bags and then have champs and what not... they could also have events like best halloween costume night/ etc with a band. They also should be doing maybe 2 dollar tap nights from maybe 930-1130 or something."

• From Christina: Free cover for students is always a good choice. This sounds kinda weird but changing the name of the bar to something that makes you wonder "hmm whats going on here".. a bar opened here in Halifax before the summer and it's called "The Toothy Moose" ... seriously everyone goes still even though the bar kinda sucks because its called the "The Toothy Moose". Drink special, especially drinks tied into food... pitcher and wings (if the bar sells food). Try to bring in a rep of some kind with like.. Jagerettes in your bar, giving away free swag and maybe some drinks.

  Have themed nights.. like this Friday is "Tight and Bright Night", everyone who wears bright tight clothing gets in for free and first drinks on the bar or something.Those are the things that would make me wanna go party!!!

• From the Rubinator (as bean bags are to Wisconsin, Flip Cup is to Halifax. Do you know what the kids on your campus are playing?): Well first thing that comes to mind for me of course is cost. I am a student aka I don't have any money. No cover charge is always a big draw and drink specials of course. Contesting directed towards students always helps, young people like to compete so have some sort of competition. I'm not sure if you can have drinking competitions but flip cup is always a crowd pleaser.

  We like to drink. But we like to drink cheap even more. Except for me and Christina of course, we never drink.

So, if you want to attract college students, they want to drink cheap and have music and play games. It IS Rocket Science.

Get The Women, And The Men Will Follow

Or, as Tracy Austin from Mix in Houston says, "First the gays, then the girls." She had the idea of "Girls Gone Pink" and donate a buck from each Pink Cosmo to a breast cancer charity.

If a bar did "Commando Tuesday" and women checked their underwear at the door and got to drink for free, I would set the landspeed record for getting there.

Clubs always do "Ladies drink free". So why do I care except that they're slowly edging towards the territory where I'll become attractive.

What if you gave every guy who walked in the door, five logo'ed chips? They're each good for one drink and can only be used by women. So I strut around while boozed up sweaty liquor pigs try to coerce a chip out of me.

THAT would get me there.

The Wisdom Of NostraThomas

Cat Thomas at KLUC has only a minimal amount of experience with these clients since Las Vegas is pretty sedate and the club business is pretty low-key. But being wise, he still knows what draws:

Quickest way is draw Chicks!

Do a cash contest where you pay girls to party. Every girl gets a number. Every 30-45 minutes call out a number and give them cash. Usually $50-$100 per girl draws ($100 in Vegas...$50 in Knoxville). Utilize $1000-$2000 to do this! Younger girls college aged girls will definitely show up for cash. What happens is girls start to show up in droves which draws guys. About 70% of the money gets spent back at the bar anyway, because girls travel in packs and the winner usually buys a couple rounds and shots!

What I always find funny is a bar will give out free drinks to girls for an hour which costs them about $400-$600 in pours, but won't spend $1000 on a cash promotion where $700 is usually spent back at the bar. Plus with all the additional women who show up, they usually increase their ring by 30-40%. So they end up making much more money. When we used to do this at the Shark Club, they actually increased from $1000 a week to $2000 in prize money and their nightly ring increased from $17K on a Tuesday night to over $25K. They spent more money to attract more women and more guys showed up and spent more money on drinks! It will take about 4 weeks before the place will be packed but it will last for years once you build that night!