Rugby World Cup preview: The sponsors

Sponsors aim to support Britain's pubs as they try to create a big match atmosphere in the bar.

Tetley's invests in England win​

As the official beer of England rugby, Tetley's is in training to take full advantage of a World Cup which, for once, a home nation has a good chance of winning.

"The rugby may not be as big as the Football World Cup was but England have got a much better chance of doing very well and interest in the tournament will be bigger this time than it has ever been before," said Sarah Kay, senior brand manager for the Carlsberg-Tetley (C-T) ale.

"The England against South Africa clash on October 18 is a key game in the first round and by the quarter-finals the competition should have built up a lot of excitement.

"If pubs can get a reputation as a good place to watch live sport they are bound to benefit," she continued. "There are only two rules for getting it right - firstly make sure people know what you're doing and secondly create a fun atmosphere on the day.

"You have got to make it a memorable experience. That's what will get customers coming back," said Sarah.

Sarah believes that last summer's football World Cup brought a "fundamental change" in the way people watch major sports tournaments and has given C-T and the trade a valuable insight into "what works and what doesn't".

As part of a spend of just short of £1m around the Rugby World Cup, Tetley's is making a wide range of activities, competitions and publicity materials available to pubs to help them generate excitement and theatre.

The main focus will be that England versus South Africa match and licensees are being encouraged to use England's football clash with Turkey the previous weekend to publicise their rugby coverage to sports fans.

Through building trade in the pubs, C-T hopes to give Tetley's the kind of boost that sister-brand Carlsberg enjoyed during the football.

"Tetley's already has a powerful reputation for getting behind the national team and this autumn we shall see a lot of people getting interested in rugby for the first time," said sponsorship manager Gareth Roberts.

He expects "an awful lot of media exposure" for the brand during the tournament with Tetley's teaming up with England fly half Jonny Wilkinson, likely to be one of the stars of the tournament, and England captain Martin Johnson.

Heineken hopes for premium cup return​

In its first piece of major marketing activity in the UK since the launch of a premium five per cent version earlier this year, Heineken has committed £1.5m to its sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup.

The investment includes on-trade support which is designed to help licensees recreate the international and celebratory atmosphere of the games in their own pubs.

Various promotions and point-of-sale materials will be made available to outlets matched to the profile of their drinkers and their own promotional objectives. They are designed to increase footfall in pubs and bars during the tournament, create a lively fun atmosphere and raise awareness of Heineken's worldwide sponsorship.

"We are committed to strengthening Heineken's image as an imported premium brand in the UK," said on-trade sales director Richard Bradbury. "Supporting the Rugby World Cup is the perfect way to achieve this while developing our new relationships with pubs and bars across the country.

"The terrific visibility we will receive during the live TV broadcasts of the games will attract the attention of millions of premium lager drinkers. We are very excited about the tournament and are dedicated to making it a real experience for our trade partners and their customers."

Heineken, which is available in more than 170 countries around the world, is the only official international beer sponsor of the Rugby World Cup. The brand has been linked to rugby since the late 1980s and in 1995 it partnered the World Cup in South Africa before beginning its sponsorship of the Heineken Cup.

The Rugby World Cup 2003 will see Heineken branding in all 10 participating stadia, advertising in all Rugby World Cup official publications, media guides, official magazines and match day programmes.

The brand has also signed up two former international players, Jonathan Davies (ex Wales and British Lions) and Tim Horan (ex Australia and World Cup winner) as brand ambassadors during the tournament.

Net gains to be had for pubs​

Early opening will cost you money in staffing, food and overheads - and your usual crowd of regulars may not be enough to cover the extra expense.

If the Rugby World Cup is going to be a commercial success at your pub you might need to cast your net further afield and attract new customers.

Rob Millar, who runs the Sportspubs.co.uk website, is extending its service to help rugby fans find pubs that are screening the early morning matches - and that, he believes, is one way in which licensees can reach a wider audience.

"Opening early does not guarantee large crowds," he said. "Internal posters and external boards do not attract enough business from local customers to warrant the extra staff costs."

Pubs can extend their reach by getting listed on major sports websites, making sure they are top of the search engine result for people looking for pubs to go to on the way to work, making contact with expatriate communities and gaining coverage in regional and national media.