Harvey’s Sports Bar & Grill opened its doors in St Kilda in September 2024, entering a competitive hospitality market known for its vibrant nightlife and discerning patrons. As a brand-new venue, Harvey’s needed to quickly build local awareness, stand out from the noise, and drive strong foot traffic from day one.
With a bold tagline “Harvey’s – Sports, Beer, BBQ. It’s what we do.”, the brand positioned itself as a no-fuss, high-energy destination for sports lovers and weekend revellers alike.
Our research showed that sports fans are some of the most loyal and community-driven audiences. They seek out venues where they feel a sense of belonging and familiarity. They’re also discerning: the atmosphere, food, and vibe need to align with the experience they expect when watching a big game or catching up with mates.
In a market like St Kilda, where competition is fierce and consumer attention is fragmented, the key was to make Harvey’s feel like it had always been part of the local sports culture, even before it opened. We also found that this audience heavily relied on word-of-mouth and recommendations to influence decisions on where to gather, particularly on weekends and game nights.
This gave us a clear direction: build familiarity fast, deliver social proof through trusted voices, and show up where sports fans live, commute, and plan their nights out.
We designed a short, high-impact campaign focused on generating top-of-mind awareness in the lead-up to opening night. We needed to build immediate trust and excitement for the launch by connecting with the sports-loving audience authentically, showing up in contextually relevant moments.
The media mix was selected to dominate the local area, influence social plans, and drive urgency among our core demographic.
We executed a multi-channel campaign designed to drive mass awareness, local engagement and opening weekend foot traffic.
Radio was the hero channel, leveraging early morning and afternoon drive slots to reach tradies during their commutes. Live reads and sponsorships from well-known sports personalities added credibility, while on-air giveaways and AFL broadcast spots tapped directly into Melbourne’s sporting culture at high-engagement moments.
Street Posters blanketed St Kilda and surrounding suburbs, owning the local landscape and ensuring Harvey’s felt familiar before doors even opened.
Digital and Mobile Billboards circulated through key nightlife precincts, including Chapel Street and Richmond, putting the Harvey’s brand front and centre where our audience socialised and planned nights out.
Across all touchpoints, creative leaned into the bold tagline: “Harvey’s – Sports, Beer, BBQ. It’s what we do.” – delivering consistency, cut-through, and character.
Opening night hit full capacity, with strong walk-ins and word-of-mouth carrying momentum through the weekend.
Radio activations drove tangible cut-through, with many patrons referencing on-air segments and giveaways.
Search and social engagement spiked during the campaign window, validating interest and campaign recall.
The campaign delivered a CPM under $4 for P18–54, ensuring strong efficiency while reaching the core demographic.
“Lachy and Rob were fantastic to work with. We were building our brand in early September, and they both made the whole process seamless. Professional, knowledgeable and genuinely great guys. We have continued working with Hawkeye Advertising 10 months after opening our doors and would recommend Hawkeye to both new and existing businesses.”
– Trevor Hines, General Manager, Harvey’s Sports Bar & Grill
