Bowling Ball Surprise

December 17th, 2009 Posted in General |

Elmex, makers of anti-cavity toothpaste (and bus tickets!), wanted to reach its target audience through a new, unconventional advertising route. Bus tickets are well known for having holes, sure, but what else could they compare to a cavity-plagued tooth without completely grossing out their prospects?

Enter the bowling ball. Israel’s largest bowling alley chain has branches in all the country’s major cities, and bowling is a hugely popular sport there. To grab the attention of bowlers, Elmex added 140 “rigged” balls to the mix: instead of the traditional three holes, these balls had three circular stickers made to look like holes, with dentist-friendly ad copy inside reading “Helps prevent cavities” accompanied by a picture of an Elmex tube. Bowlers couldn’t help but notice and laugh at the unique promotion, and the campaign is still going strong one year later.