GO BOWLING’S PARTNERSHIP WITH MACY’S, NASCAR, NATIONAL BOWLING DAY ON FOX, AND A NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN LEAD MAJOR INDUSTRY MARKETING INITIATIVES FOR SECOND HALF OF 2021

ARLINGTON, Texas – On Saturday, Aug. 14, the country will commemorate National Bowling Day, and the bowling industry is ready to make this the biggest celebration yet. Strike Ten Entertainment, via the Go Bowling platform, is rolling out an unprecedented marketing effort to build upon the momentum of a revitalized industry, post pandemic.

On tap to help raise awareness and drive consumers to the lanes are five major tent-pole activations in quarters three and four of this year that will entertain millions of Americans:

• The “Go Bowling at The Glen” NASCAR race

• The new “Reunite With Your Team” national ad campaign

• An exclusive “FOX & Friends” live broadcast appearance

• The “Go Bowling 250” NASCAR Race

• Go Bowling’s return to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 

“Each year, Go Bowling features our sport in the brightest light across the country,” said John Harbuck, President of Strike Ten Entertainment, the consumer marketing arm of the bowling industry. “Last year had its challenges for everyone, but as the industry rebounds so impressively from the pandemic, we’re doing everything we can to showcase bowling to the 67 million people who bowl each year. What better way to accomplish that than with our NASCAR events at Watkins Glen (New York) and Richmond (Virginia), a unique nationally televised celebration of bowling on National Bowling Day, the launch of our biggest advertising campaign in years and by marking the beginning of the holidays an encore appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade?”

Go Bowling supports National Bowling Day with numerous activities that drive families and friends to the lanes around the country. On Aug. 8, Go Bowling returns to Watkins Glen for its Go Bowling at The Glen race and then moves on to Richmond on Sept. 11 for its Go Bowling 250. At both tracks, Go Bowling will have a special car-wrap for the #10 and the #98 Go Bowling Ford Mustangs, driven by Aric Almirola and Riley Herbst, respectively. Each event will have bowling-themed fan engagement activations in the track’s Fan Midway areas for race attendees to have fun and a chance to win NASCAR and Go Bowling prizes.

Go Bowling will roll out a new national advertising campaign beginning on Aug. 9. Under the theme of “Reunite With Your Team,” the commercial spot will air across national broadcast and national cable TV through the end of September to encourage people of all ages to get back on the lanes. The Go Bowling media schedule, developed by Horizon Media, ensures that the ads are running during high-traffic time slots in August and September, including during NASCAR races, key baseball matchups, Major League Soccer matches, and across other major non-sports networks such as FOX News, Food Network, Comedy Central and others.

Go Bowling then returns to New York City for bowling’s big close-up on national TV, when Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America President Jim Decker and other bowling personalities join the hosts of “FOX & Friends” to celebrate National Bowling Day on Aug. 14. Plans include Decker presenting the “FOX & Friends” hosts with their very own custom bowling equipment so they can show off their form on a portable lane on the FOX Square in Manhattan.

“National Bowling Day isn’t just a single day — it’s a celebration to showcase how much the bowling world has evolved and grown over the past year,” said Decker. “Go Bowling will leverage our NASCAR and Macy’s partnerships, the ‘FOX & Friends’ appearance, and our new national ad campaign to boost the industry even more and help bring the fun back to the nearly 70 million people who go bowling annually.”

Later in 2021, Go Bowling will be back on national airwaves, as its partnership with Macy’s has been extended through 2023. The bigger-than-life bowling ball and pin balloonicles, along with the size 151½ bowling shoes, will be back on the parade route in front of millions of adoring fans in attendance and millions more viewing from home during the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

On behalf of the International Bowling Campus, Strike Ten Entertainment is fully supporting the National Bowling Day initiative. Digital marketing support materials are being created for all member centers to assist in promoting National Bowling Day to drive business locally.  

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