Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Bowling Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

* One of the biggest opportunities for growth is considered to be partnering with high schools. More high schools are not only offering bowling as physical fitness and elective classes, but also adding varsity bowing teams. There was a 3% increase in high school bowling team/club participation in 2009.
* There’s a growing opportunity for bowling “lounges,” which cater to the 21-40-year-old demographic. These sophisticated lounges are typically set in urban areas and offer upscale menus, music, bars, high-tech audio and visual systems, and party areas.
* The number of certified bowling league members has declined by an average of 3% annually in the last decade.

Consumer interest in mobile apps remains huge. Nielsenwire analysts note that the sales of smart phones are projected to overtake the sales of traditional mobile phones in the near future. As they do, consumers will continue to download apps. This trend presents an opportunity for app developers.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Family Entertainment Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

* After falling from their peak of 10,000 in the 1980s, the number of arcades has risen to approximately 5,000 across the country. Industry professionals believe part of the fueled popularity is due to members of Generations X and Y introducing their children to games they used to play, such as Pac-Man and Tron.
* Many family entertainment centers are adding private-party areas to attract those celebrating birthdays and other events. In particular, “tween” and teen parties are increasingly in demand, during which traditional games are replaced with go-karts and other activities geared toward older consumers. For some locations, these types of parties account for 30% of birthday-party business.
* An emerging trend is adding live events to family entertainment centers (FEC). More of these businesses are showcasing family-friendly DJs or live music, which they believe not only encourages repeat visitors but also attracts consumers that might not normally visit an FEC.

Few people will argue that consumers are spending more time than ever engaged with media. The total media time for consumers, on average, has reached 3,532 hours, annually. And as the hours have increased, the types of media used by many consumers have changed. But Veronis Suhler Stevenson analysts believe many companies in the media industry have not kept up with the pace of these changes.

As consumers spend more time online and interacting with their friends through social networks, a related industry is growing quickly and generating revenue for savvy marketers. It’s all about virtual goods. When consumers are playing online games or posting updates to their personal pages, they present a ready market. Operators such as Zynga are selling real-world pre-paid game cards that players can use to customize their online places. And then there’s always the option to buy an e-birthday greeting or e-flowers for friends. Analysts note that this industry was worth $1.6 billion in 2009.

With more consumers of all ages turning to smart phones for information, communication and entertainment, video game console manufacturers and retailers have good reason to wonder where their market is headed. For nearly a decade, the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 have commanded impressive market share. And then the Wii came along and captured huge interest from the younger boy and young women demographic groups.