By Jacqueline Tobin

Pitching bowling as a popular pasttime, especially among urban twentysomethings, is no easy task. But a new campaign by agency Toy New York hopes to change the face of bowling—literally—with three highly stlyized ads photographed by Moshe Brakha promoting Lucky Strike bowling alleys/lounges located across the country.

In three separate portraits, a female hand grips a cool 20-something guy’s face as if it’s a bowling ball. The copy promotes Lucky Strike (the bowling alley chain, not the cigarette brand) above the tagline “Take a Friend Bowling.”

““At first the posters appear to be for a new designer or new club. The hand comes in disrupting the shot. Pulling the subject away to a place that’s presumably a whole lot more fun.” explains Toy cofounder and creative chief officer Ari Merkin. “We wanted to set up the pretentiousness in the image and then knock it down.” 

Merkin and his team hired photographer Moshe Brakha. “Moshe is an incredible photographer and visual stylist. He was able to give the posters a contemporary hipster vibe that made the hand feel that much more out of context. The posters aim to poke a fun at the too cool for bowling crowd. And at the same time giving viewers a good chuckle.”

Merkin adds that Toy wanted to capture the style and flavor of the Lucky Strike lounge—a national chain—by creating images that reflected the younger crowd that hangs out there. “People have a very specific, mostly downscale image of bowling alleys. One visit to Lucky Strike can change all that. We wanted to break the stereotype and encourage people to see why Lucky Strike is a great night out for even their coolest friends.”

The ads, currently being distributed in poster and postcard form touting a Lucky Strike bowling lounge in Miami, are expected to go national in the next month or so.