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Author Topic: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???  (Read 4855 times)

EL3MCNEIL

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WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« on: September 22, 2014, 01:27:52 AM »
I was wondering, since Bowlmor AMF is going to be more involved with the PBA do y'all think that they will pay to be on tour again? I think it would be good to see some of the tour bowlers throw these balls to get more exposure. Would most definitely help with sales with the added exposure.
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Urethane Game

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2014, 08:16:44 AM »
Since there is no ownership relationship between any of the ball companies you mentioned and Bowlmor, I would say no.  The AMF name is licensed by 900 Global which is the only relationship that exists.

itsallaboutme

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2014, 09:09:02 AM »
Every company would product register with the PBA if they could financially justify the decision to do so.  Unfortunately there is no way for the smaller companies to even come close to breaking even on the deal.

spencerwatts

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2014, 09:53:55 AM »
I'm told the ball manufacturers must pay a $300k product registration fee. That doesn't include any of the other stuff they've got to pony up. And that product registration fee is something the PBA desperately needs coming in to keep the doors open.
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Track_Fanatic

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2014, 10:05:43 AM »
I doubt any of them would come back even if they dropped the product registration fee. They would still need to come up with money for getting a ball approved for use. Whoever buys the big B will have a tough decision too.  Is one of the other 2 major companies going to buy them? I would think that would be the only way the big B would continue to be PBA product registered.

Jorge300

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2014, 10:26:37 AM »
I guess it depends on how you look at it. How much do these companies spend on advertising in a year? I can't speak for the companies mentioned in the OP, but Brunswick has a full page ad, usually on the back cover or inside front cover of the Bowler's Journal every month (or at least they used to). That is prime real estate and very pricey. The PBA registration fee is nothing more than additional advertising. If you have good equipment and you have good bowlers, your product gets on TV and seen by the public. With Sean Rash, Tom Smallwood, Parker Bohn,and Jason Sterner (all that I can think of at the moment) on their roster, there is a good chance Brunswick will be on TV quite a bit. Look at Motiv during the Summer Swing, I bet they saw some pick up with Ronnie Russell winning and E.J. Tackett making some shows. It's all a matter of perspective.
 
But, that being said, the companies in the OP are much smaller then Brunswick and potentially Motiv now. They also have had some financial issues, when it comes to 900Global/AMF. So they may not be able to justify that kind of advertising expenditure. Maybe with Storm's infusal of cash into Global900/AMF, they might all extend that to include PBA registration, I guess we will have to wait and see.
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itsallaboutme

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2014, 11:52:31 AM »
A Bowlers Journal full page color ad is just over $3k a month, and those are published rates, so I'm sure Brunswick is getting a package deal with all the ads they place.  But they only have a circulation of about 17,000.

Product registration itself is nowhere near $300k, but each brands is spending more than that when all is said and done.  The part of the equation that is forgotten is the salaries paid to the players to be on staff.  If you don't have quality guys using your balls you have no chance of making a show.  Then a company has to supply balls for the truck for the PBA50 events.  If you don't have a ball rep you are behind everyone else, so there is that also.  And all the balls the staff guys drill add up at $50 or so a whack.


Gene J Kanak

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2014, 12:48:40 PM »
It's all about cost-benefit analysis. PBA shows have very little visibility anymore. It was different way back when the Tour was on network TV every Saturday morning and had a large following. These days the shows are taped and rebroadcast on ESPN in a time slot that competes with NFL football and other more popular sporting events. As such, there are fewer and fewer people even watching the shows, so that means a lot less benefit to worrying about whether X-pro or Y-pro is using your stuff on that show. I'm sure there was a time when pro shop owners routinely had people coming in asking about this ball or that ball that they saw being used on the show, but I think those days have largely passed. As such, I just don't see any of the companies that have dropped registration picking it back up. It's just not worth the extra $$.

Joe Cool

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2014, 01:49:15 PM »
I've never bought a ball because some pro used it.  I'm much more likely to buy a ball that I see someone else using that I can compare to my style than a PBA guy on TV that I have no frame of reference for. 

The better question would be why would they return to the PBA?
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Jorge300

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2014, 02:35:50 PM »
Gene and Joe,
     You are both correct. There may not be a valid benefit for the costs of being PBA registered. The only one I see potentially coming back would be 900Global, if Storm wants to put up the money to get the brand moving since they now have financial interest in it.
Jorge300

S-70BreakPearl

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2014, 10:46:15 AM »
you might be Right Jorge,  Storm might add AMF/900 under there umbrella. there has been talk from proshops on the west coast and mid west that has heard it may happen as well.    I hope someone didnt let the cat out of the bag to soon on this lol   I guess time will tell in the next couple of months if they decide to or not. ;)  then again  with bowlmor wanting to sponsor the PBA50s tour in 2015 it only makes since they would  have to register wouldn't you think?  crossing fingers but not holding my breathe lol ;)
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Jorge300

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Re: WILL AMF/LANE #1/900 GLOBAL COME BACK TO THE PBA???
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2014, 11:22:40 AM »
S-70,
   The AMF Bowling Balls are not associated with Bowlmor/AMF in any way. Bowlmor has nothing to register. 900Global owns the rights to the AMF300 bowling ball line. I would assume if Storm decides to register 900Global, or provides the financial backing to do so, then the AMF300 line would also be registered as part of that.

This is just like if/when someone buy Brunswick bowling balls. Bowlmor will have no association with that company and will not be involved in if that company keeps Brunswick bowling balls PBA registered.
Jorge300