Agreed, NTB.Originally Posted by Mike White
To us on this forum, we understand what the naming convention means. But, the average guy I see in my leagues will have absolutely zero idea.
It's all about marketing today, and as Aslan correctly indicates, Storm is way ahead of the pack. But, this phenomenon isn't limited to bowling--generally speaking, if a company's marketing team can make the public believe their product is cool, quality/reliability doesn't matter as much.
Like others have stated, most common bowlers have no idea what differential, asymmetrical, and surface friction are. Give it a "cool" name and you may be able to pick up some traction. Also sponsor more high end bowlers. The only bowler off the top of my head they sponsor is Mika.
Storm/Roto Grip seem to have everyone else, especially two of the most exciting players on tour (Weber and Belmonte)
I still see Hammer as one of the top names in the sport although I do have to agree being part of the ebonite debacle does not help them. If Brunswick wasn't up for sale would we really be talking poorly of them? I've never been a huge fan of Brunswick equipment but I see plenty of it on the lanes. Motiv may be the one to unseat Storm I don't know I see more and more of it on the lanes from what I hear Storm reaction with better longevity. The real day is when Storm overreaches with its distributors which will eventually happen and the world will change again. It's happened to often not to happen again.
I think the unpopularity of Ebonite and Track is just that the products not really there. Yes they have some tour wins but other than the GB2 is there a single ball that just says I need that one? If your best ball from one side is solid black (yes I know we buy balls for what they do not how they look but we're talking general public) and the others side looks like you threw up you alpha bits to make the name you're not going to be real successful.
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
What else is wrong with EBI? How did they go so badly in the toilet? Back when I bowled before, they were pretty much the premier name on the market. The Gyro was extremely popular, as was the "Cat" and "Apex" series of balls. After that.....the bottom seems to have fallen out.
Hammer has done reasonably well, and while the Bad Intentions is a great ball that most serious bowlers would love.....you're absolutely correct. The Black Widow series is still doing well too, though. Heck, an old guy I know who just helicopters the ball bought a Black Widow Red Legend. Why? I have no idea, but he thought it looked nice--he'd be better off with a Cyclone or Scout the way he throws it. EBI products aren't seen as "sexy" like the Hyper Cell, Rocket, etc.
Yeah beyond the Ebonite Cyclone that I have I really can't name any other Ebonite ball. They're just not out there enough.
I missed most of this as I wasn't bowling in the early to mid years of resin bowling balls but from what it looks like to me is Brunswick bough out the premiere bowlers on the tour during those mid years until the beginning of Storm when Storm hit they brought a ball motion that was different then they did buy out the tour basically. EBI never recovered throw a few ball releases in that died early as early as 25 games, lack of lots of good quality tour members, and generally a blah product line and you get present day EBI.
If I'm way off here let me know this is just my understanding of what happened to them. Trying to run 4 premier product lines seems like a good recipe for disaster to me anyway.
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
I just don't think EBI is as aggressive as Storm and Motiv. The Hammer name and to a lesser extent the Columbia name are keeping them relevant...but most people that buy Track or Ebonite are people still brand loyal to them from decades ago.
The way I look at a successful marketing team versus an unsuccessful marketing team is simple. If you have to go out of your way to figure out what new ball a company just released, that's a fail. If you get their newest release thrown in your face to where you can't avoid it even if you try (ex. BYTE, Optimus, Crux, etc...) then they've done a good job. I'm not even a fan of Storm products (unless C. Hardee is reading this : ) )...but I can name almost every new release they've come out with in the past 2 years....and there's been a LOT. Same thing with Rotogrip. I know most of the Motiv stuff and I like Brunswick so I know there's. But EBI and 900Global...I have no idea. Sometimes I'll catch an ad for a new Columbia release...but that's about it.
In my opinion, what really hurt EBI was the same thing that virtually killed Apple many years ago (in a round about way). EBI is very, very aggressive with their pro shops in terms of sales and bonuses. Mike or one of the other pro shop guys can probably comment more...but from what I researched and have seen...most pro shops that sell EBI almost sell entirely EBI. And they make a bonus based on how many EBI products they sell. That bonus is significant enough that many pro shop guys will only sell EBI, and will push it even if it's not the best option for the bowler in question. While many pro shops will stock Hammer because it's got the largest following from the 80s/90s...and still a good deal of brand loyalty....most pro shops I go to don't bother to stock Columbia, Track, or Ebonite. They stock Storm, RotoGrip, Brunswick, Motiv, and Hammer...then they keep some Cyclones around for entry level ball/bag/shoes deals.
And I fear it will get worse...because the loss of Chris Barnes...that was their Columbia staff captain and a future Hall of Famer. That loss leaves Missy Parkin as probably the most decorated member of the pro staff. Blanchard and Norton are nice guys and all...but they aren't household names. And that's really hurting Ebonite across the board. Track has Mika, Hammer has Bill O'Neill, Ebonite has Tommy Jones and Amletto Monacelli. Those are ALL of the household names in bowling in EBI. That's IT. Without Google...the average bowler probably couldn't name another Track, Hammer, or Ebonite pro.
Compare that to Brunswick where WRW and Sean Rash and Parker Bohn lead a team of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Add in the DV8/Radical guys like Tom Hess. Or Motiv with the younger crowd like Russel and Tackett. Motiv made an appearance in almost every WSOB stepladder last season. And then there's Storm/Rotogrip where you couldn't roll a bowling ball at a PBA or PBA Regional event without it hitting a Storm pro at some point.
EBI is giving off every sign of a company that is struggling to stay afloat...and in bowling...you're either out there, developing great products, sponsoring the best of the best, and winning titles....or you're one step away from the obscurity of Lane #1 or Seismic or Lane Masters or AMF. I mean, AMF!!? Most bowlers don't even know they still make balls!! That's like hearing that Saturn just released a new minivan....Saturn? They still make cars? That is a gigantic marketing FAIL if you have to remind people you even exist.
And there's TWO rule changes I'd propose to the PBA that would help fix this.
1) Change the PBA League to a format where every brand can have a team so long as that team is comprised of players sponsored* by that brand. So for example;
Teams: Storm, Rotogrip, 900 Global, Brunswick, Columbia, Ebonite, Track, Hammer, DV8, Radical, Motiv, AMF, Lane #1, Pyramid, Lane Masters, Seismic, etc...
* and the term "sponsored" would be defined so that a company can't just hand out 4-5 t-shirts and claim they sponsored a team. It would be a commitment by those brands to actually FULLY sponsor those players. That means 100% of tournament entries, equipment, and a stipend minimum.
Each brand gets ONE team per BRAND. Players from the same company cannot switch brands/teams and can only use balls branded by their team.
And, to allow some of the lesser known ball manufacturers a chance to compete...the PBA won't require a massive fee to register products. If it passes the USBC specs, it can be used. Each team only has to come up with an entry fee (per team) of say $25,000. High enough that you won't have 500 Chinese plastic ball manufacturers entering...but low enough that it won't bankrupt a small ball manufacturer.
2) The PBA needs to limit sponsored players in terms of the balls they throw. Storm and Ebonite have bought up so many brands...and Brunswick has rolled out offshoots...which is great...but it's unfair advantage that a player that signs with Storm can suddenly use any of 60 different balls.
The other way Ebonite could really help themselves....in addition to really upping their investment and marketing...is to consolidate their brands. Have the Master/Professional level be Ebonite, the high performance level be Track, the mid-range performance and polyester balls be Columbia, and then have Hammer sprinkled in there at each level. You don't need 4 different brands of plastic balls. You could call all the levels "Hammer" and then have the "Ebonite Series" and the "Track Series", and the "Columbia Series"...all carrying the popular Hammer logo. And then your pro staff is actually not that bad. Mika, Tommy Jones, Bill O'Neill, Scott Norton, Josh Blanchard...Amletto on the senior and international circuit, and Missy/Clara representing the women's PBA.
But the other companies have to step up. Anthony Pepe made that final earlier in 2015 and Storm had him locked up by the time the TV cameras came on or sooner. That weirdo Troup kid...I think once he made it to match play...Storm scooped him up as well...maybe even earlier. It seems that anyone without a sponsorship...Storm has people wandering around the bowling center offering them stuff to join up. It may not be much...but if you ain't got a patch on your shirt...and the PBA doesn't make you switch balls...why turn down free money? And it doesn't look like anyone except maybe Motiv is even pretending to try and snatch up talent.
Just my observations...I'm sure the insiders have better information. But the BIGGEST ball releases of recent memory in terms of popularity at amateur tournaments and on the lanes that I've witnessed:
- RotoGrip Hyper Cell
- Storm Crux
- Storm Optimus
- Brunswick Mastermind Genius
- Hammer Deadly Aim
- Brunswick Mastermind
Those balls were EVERYWHERE last year and early this year. Everywhere. Hell, I think Iceman had 3 deadly aims altogether!! Storm released a movie that was boring as hell...but it was an in depth look at the new Crux release...almost a mini documentary. That's the level of marketing overkill that Storm is willing to go to in order to make sure that bowlers see it as "the next big thing".
In Bag: (: .) Zen Master Solid; (: .) Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 192; Lifetime Average = 172;
Ball Speed: 14.7mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 198
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Interesting thoughts/ideas as always, Aslan. I didn't realize EBI offered kickbacks to proshops, but I do know of a few EBI-only shops.
Other than Hammer (which, the Black Widow is also an extremely popular ball), EBI just has nothing going for it. It seems like they need a new marketing staff or something. The Code of Honor?? Energy Source?? Terrible names for products.
I agree I like what Hammer is doing the rest of EBI is a joke at least marketing wise. I really can't say much about the rest of the product only repeat things I have heard from others about early death of the bigger hooking pieces but I've never owned any. I never really see anyone throw much of it there was a newer Track ball on the lanes last night I was surprised. I have heard that Track is doing away with the number thing maybe some changes are coming.
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
Yeah my previous PSO had only EBI stuff: Ebonite, Track, Columbia 300, and Hammer. When I inquired about Storm or other products that he would be able to get and drill he always said the Track or Hammer balls were just as good, no need for Storm or "other brand" balls.
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