Dallas indie agency Poke The Bear has teamed up with GOBOWLING, the national marketing arm of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA), to launch a new national campaign that debuted December 27 during the GOBOWLING Military Bowl. Titled “Don’t Go Boring, GO BOWLING,” the work leans into a simple, sticky truth: you can be terrible at bowling and still have an amazing time doing it.
The spot is a sensory love letter to the sport, the sounds, the visuals, the counter-culture energy, and that let-yourself-go escape that keeps casual bowlers coming back. Notably, there’s no offer, no copy points, no URLs, and no location tags. The only call to action is the brand itself, trusting that the joy of bowling needs no explanation.
Shot in Texas, the production leaned heavily into craft, even bringing in a professional bowling coach to ensure authentic strikes on camera, though pressure proved real, taking nearly 20 attempts to land the perfect shot. To capture the moment, the crew ran two cameras continuously and mounted a GoPro inside the pinsetter for a strike-from-the-inside perspective. The campaign rolls out across TV, print, digital, and social, with additional major media placements planned throughout the year, including NASCAR and other marquee sports and entertainment events.
Credits:
Andy Mahr & Ashton Rodgers, directors
James Rayburn, Deedle Labour, editors, Tango
Tony Wann, EFX
Catherine Thomas, Allen Robbins, Online Artists
Thrive Colour, Color, Dallas, TX
KlugeFon, Sound & Mix, Dallas, TX
Shindig, Music, Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Brannon, EP
Alyson Griffith, EP
Stefany Strah, Agency Producer
Charlie Uniform Tango, Production, Dallas, TX
Charlie Uniform Tango, Post-Production, Dallas, TX
Poke The Bear, Agency, Dallas, TX
Bill Milkereit, Co-founder, Poke The Bear
Todd Tucker, Co-founder, Poke The Bear
Hayley Tarazewich, Head of Account, Poke The Bear
