Having a small debate on another site.  I had made a comment about a new ball having a bad sounding name, bland colors, and an average at best logo and that I'd have trouble selling it, which I think I would.  I had several people come to its defense, and they did have some good points, but only from the perspective of the higher average bowler that considers performance above all else.  Obviously I would argue that performance matters most, but for 90-95% of bowlers who aren't your 220+ averages, color, name, and how the ball looks is about all that matters to them.  If it looks cool, sounds cool, or smells cool, they're buying it over something that may work a lot better for them.  Maybe we just have a funky market here too, and that's partially what I'm trying to figure out, I'm not fishing for support.  All I know is that we sell TONS of Motiv stuff over other companies that perform just as well in our area.  Venom Toxins are flying off the shelf, but we can't sell a First Blood.  Just looking for opinions, thanks everybody. 

Color is a very important factor along with logos.

Certain colors and the way they appear on the ball can be very deceiving going down the lane. It can make the ball look like it is doing more or less then it is. It can also prevent you from seeing what the ball is actually doing from your perspective.

Some logos on the ball can do the same thing. Especially if the ball is dark with say white logos ect.

I had a Morich Awesome Finish that I couldn't bowl with because of the large bright logos all over the ball. From my perspective when it was going down the lane it looked like the ball had no revolutions. It was hard to gauge the balls reaction. When I watched a video of me throwing the ball it looked great. At the foul line however I couldn't watch it.

Mo stated the reason he had the larger pin on the Morich balls was to see the pin migration easier going down lane.

Parker Bohn III mentioned in an interview on above 180 where he drilled a Utli-max and because of the colors going down the lane and the way it was drilled he couldn't properly read the ball. He drilled another one the same way and was able to tell much easier because of the color and swirl pattern what the ball was doing on the lanes.

Same for say the Yellow Misfit, the new Track 400 series white ball that is coming and many others that are really bright solid or swirled colors. It can be hard to judge on the lanes. I do not use inserts and typically use black slugs.


Name and actual logos are a bonus. A lot of the stuff looks like childs crap art or lame 50s comic book drawings that had a box of crayons melted on the ball. It is the popular trend.

As a bowler:
I'd like to think I think about the RG, differentials, layout, and coverstock of the bowling balls I throw. Obvious as a consumer myself, I'm sure I am influenced by the aesthetics of a product that can affect whether I would choose one product over another. Chances are if I had two products that are equal in its performance and quality characteristics, I would pick the one I would find more-aesthetically pleasing.

As a pro shop operator:
I have to take in account both the performance and marketability of the product. I also have to understand a large majority of my consumers are more recreational players than competitive/elite ones. This leads to the notion that both price and aesthetics sometimes plays a bigger role in influencing an entry-level bowler. Therefore aesthetically-pleasing products will play a larger influence on what I should keep in stock, rather than performance alone.

In essence, if I were in the business of the actual production of athletic equipment (not just bowling balls), the goal of the business needs to emphasize the need for the product to be a high-quality and user-friendly product, while being aesthetically pleasing.

I hope this isn't a secret or anything, though.

Personally, there are a few colors and one logo I stay away from.  Colors: can't do pink or neon green.  Otherwise, can't stand most other.  Preference is Red/Gold pearl.  As far a logo, I stay away from Ebonite.  I'm 0 for 4.

S^2

As someone who is still trying to learn RG, diff, and all the other stuff that fits my game. I mostly rely on my pro shop operator to recommend a ball for me. But I have 2 main balls that I use, one that kidlost refers to as looking like a box of crayons melted on the ball and the other is a solid blue color. What I have noticed is the multi-color ball looks like I have revs of 150 and the solid color ball looks like I have revs of 375. I know it is an optical illusion, but it makes me hit up on the multi-color ball which I know is not good.

Thanks for the replies everybody, I appreciate it.  I know it "shouldn't" make a difference, but honestly to a lot of bowlers it does.  We have a hard time selling equipment if it's ugly or sounds weird, and when I criticize the way a certain ball looks, I'm not doing it to be an ass.  Some people feel that way, and I suppose if you're loyal to a certain brand, you don't want to hear somebody "knocking" it.  At the same time, if you want to get that company on the wall in shops, it can't be named something ridiculous or have dull, muted colors if you want to move them.  The people that buy on performance will buy them, but you lose a larger demographic.  Some of the larger companies even have misses now and then. 

I'll echo what some others have said, or at least alluded to. While color scheme/name/logo should not be the main factor in picking out a ball, I can see why it can be a deciding factor. Even for higher average, competitive bowlers (as long as you're not only using one company), there is no reason to believe you can't find a ball that fits what you are looking for performance wise, but still is appealling to you visually.  When you are shelling out a decent amount of $, you should get what you want. If its down to Ball A and Ball B, and they both do the same thing, but I like the way Ball A looks better, thats the one I'll choose.

Only if the Name and/or Color combination is known for leaving a lot of 10 pins.