Birthday parties to participation – engaging kids in Ten Pin Bowling
Thousands of kids experience Ten pin Bowling each week at birthday parties hosted at Ten pin Bowling centres. Prior to our work with Ten pin Bowling Australia (TBA) there were few opportunities for kids to get involved in Ten pin Bowling on a longer-term basis. Central to this issue was the absence of an entry level program for kids, which many other sporting codes in Australia provide including modified programs such as Auskick for Australian Rules Football, Hot Shots for Tennis and Aussie Hoops for Basketball. The TBA leadership team sought to develop a program that could drive the appeal and availability of Tenpin Bowling for kids.
Co-designing sport products and experiences with families
Kinetica was engaged by TBA to lead the development of all aspects of a new entry level program for the sport. Our work encompassed the following areas:
- Strategy creation – Defining the role and value proposition of an entry level program to Ten pin Bowling and the industry, identifying target audiences (end users and venues) and developing a plan from concept development to roll-out
- Audience and stakeholder understanding and collaboration – in-depth engagement with potential end users (kids/ parents), customers (venue owners) and other industry representatives to understand requirements and contribute to the new program’s co-design
- Concept and product development – development and iteration of product concepts, features and benefits including how the game would be played, how progression is achieved, the role of coaches / centre operators and the contents of participant packs
- Branding and marketing collateral – Creating the brand name and logos and developing the executions of these brand assets across key marketing collateral
- Implementation plan and materials – Detailed plan for the program’s roll-out across the industry and provision of supporting materials for centres to use in the promotion and delivery of the program
The first national entry level program for Ten Pin Bowling
Bowl Patrol provides an appealing and accessible opportunity for kids to play Ten pin Bowling. Important modifications designed to enable enjoyment and learning include bowling from half-way down the lane to provide the best chance of experiencing the joy of knocking down the pins. This represented a significant step forward for venue operators, which had previously resisted allowing people on lanes. 10,000 kids now participate in Bowl Patrol across Australia each year and the program has been exported to other countries with programs now featuring in England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and South Korea.