Better Questions

It's time we started asking better questions. We have been measuring our business by the same metrics and segmenting our customers by traditional methodologies based on such variables as league play vs open play, frequency of use over the course of a year, age, income, zip code etc.

But we missed something here. Who are these customers? Who are they as people? Not by segmentation definition: age; income; household size, home value; number of children in the household. No, none of that stuff.

Is past performance still valid as a prognosticator of the future? Are the benchmarks we have been using appropriate.

I think the real test of the health of our business is the number of people that come back and spend money with us after two times. Last time I looked, that was about the median number of times the typical open play bowler came to our center in a YEAR.

And while we all have the omnipresent "price special" even these great summer offers have failed to prevent the atrocious open play summer we experienced in North America this year. Why, even with price specials like 25 cent bowling, $1 bowling and FREE bowling, was open play off?

Why? Because consumers did not have enough money? They still went to the movies and to baseball games (both minor league and major league) and vacation travel was even up a bit. But not bowling.

It sure as heck wasn't price. We gave them that. It sure wasn't because they had to wait! We had enough extra lanes open to build a new Giants Stadium!!

Here it is: we just aren't cool any more. There's no media build up of "cosmic bowling", that's already old. There's no Hollywood stars or professional (non bowling) athletes going bowling or viewed going bowling. They're at baseball games, basketball games, US Open, Olympics, Formula One races, Golf, etc. But there are no shots of them going bowling. And if these shots exist why doesn't someone share it with local proprietors.

So here's my solution. Take whatever you can Mr. BPAA and buy a Superbowl spot this year. (Heck, take what you spent on Bowlopolis.) You bought it for Master Lock and it put them on the map. How about doing the same thing for bowling?

The residual effect from the advertising promotion world would carry us for months. The spot would be played and replayed in front of millions of people. It would have to be an edgy spot.

Some of the industry "fuddy duddies" would have to get out of the way. No crash of pins, no kid throwing a ball, no hugging Grandpa and going YAY.

And after the Superbowl, we would be cool...and our centers would be busier.