• by Fern Siegel , Yesterday

Dallas agency Poke the Bear has a new account. It's been named creative AOR for Go Bowling, the national marketing arm of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. BPAA estimates 67 million people hit the lanes each year.

The account was won after a competitive pitch.

John Harbuck, president, Strike Ten Entertainment, said Poke the Bear was selected due to its “track record for bringing breakthrough creative and shaking up categories.” 

The new integrated campaign, which debuts this month, unites 3,400 bowling centers nationwide under a single brand platform. The target is casual bowlers, younger and family-oriented, highlighting the fun of the game.

The integrated campaign debuts in December at the Go Bowling Military Bowl, a college football post-season bowl game between teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

Throughout 2026, there will be additional major media placements across NASCAR and other sports and entertainment events.

“The campaign, featuring a certain epic flare, takes grip of one unique truth above all: You can suck at bowling and still be awesome at bowling. It’s this fact that allows a night out at the lanes to be that welcomed escape from the same old bar scene, the same old cinemaplex and the same old sofa," Bill Milkereit, Poke The Bear co-founder, told Agency Daily. "The bowling pastime does not have a perception challenge. It’s a radar problem. It was our job to simply re-ring that bell for them. Remind the casual bowler how much fun bowling is.” 

The agency recently launched the See's Holiday campaign, winning the account while growing their portfolio with RDOne Bourbon and Johnsonville.