Six years ago, Jim Juniper and I developed a technology called Promo Player which was an “in center” marketing platform designed specifically for the Bowling industry. The first of it’s kind in the industry; Promo Player allowed bowling proprietors to cross-sell and up-sell existing and future products or services to customers inside their four walls. The technology allowed automatic playback of (audio only at the time) announcements at a set interval during regular music programming. Despite the sophistication and ease of use, the power of the technology really laid in the library of stock announcements which accompanied it. There were generic announcements for Leagues, Food & Beverage, Fundraisers, Safety Rules, Corporate Parties, Kids Birthdays and many other profit opportunities. The bowling proprietor could also have custom announcements produced to promote anything not covered by the generic library. All of a sudden, you could easily promote your business using professionally produced announcements embedded in to your music program, and it was a big success.
Over the years there have been a number of advances in the technology: there’s now a full featured scheduler which allows you to schedule announcements to play at specific times during the day giving you the ability to really benefit from Targeted Marketing. Also, with the advent of large video displays in the bowling center; Digital Signage (or Video IN-Center Marketing) has become extremely popular. You can schedule announcements to play at specific times and they are inserted seamlessly in to your entertainment programs.
Many entertainment services for bowling now offer similar technologies and most do a decent job. The key to being successful with IN-Center Marketing isn’t in the technology though, and we don’t believe it ever was. Consistent execution and the right message is what sets the Bowling Music Network aside from the others. When we first introduced Promo Player, the total stock library of generic announcements was 18. We now offer over 300, completely free of charge. Consistent execution however, is a tough one when you’re an over-worked and busy proprietor or manager. We understand that; so we take care of it for you with free IN-Center Marketing consultation and execution of your custom program from our end. When you first become a Bowling Music subscriber, we ask some simple questions about your business and work with you to build a schedule that will take advantage of the available announcements. This service is included with your subscription and followed-up on for quarter-annual adjustments.
We are strong believers in the benefits of IN-Center Marketing and we hear success stories every day from subscribers about increased sales and program participation. IN-Center Audio and Video Marketing Works; is it working for you yet?
-Aaron Lewcock, Partner & Technical Director.
