[Content Commerce] A 30-Year Bowling Journey... National Team Star Creates "Cleaner Tissue"

Bowling Mania: Youngsun Cho’s Story of Gold Medals and YouTube Success
From Asian Games Champion to Leading Bowling Influencer
Over 200,000 Bowling Cleaner Tissues Sold?A New Hit in the Bowling Community

"Bowling is a sport that consistently wins medals at international competitions. I want to promote the appeal of bowling through YouTube and help increase the number of people who enjoy the sport."

The "Bowling Mania" channel, operated by CEO Youngsun Cho, is a YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. It offers not only bowling-related knowledge but also entertainment-style content featuring stories of former and current professional bowlers. Youngsun Cho, who served as a national team member from 2009 to 2017, is the owner of the channel.

Cho first started bowling in earnest at the age of 10, following in the footsteps of his parents, who were bowling enthusiasts. He went on to become a professional athlete, winning gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, the 2011 Abu Dhabi Asian Championships, the 2013 Henderson World Championships, and the 2017 Wroclaw World Games. He is now a bowling veteran with over 30 years of experience.

CEO Youngsun Cho is introducing the company's products at the 'Bolmae Store' warehouse in Paju. Provided by Cafe24.

Cho launched the channel in 2018. His journey began in 2014 when he created a Naver Cafe called "Bowling Mania" to share the knowledge he had accumulated as a bowler. At the time, his goal was to "popularize bowling," and the community grew to about 30,000 to 40,000 members. Later, deciding that video content was a more effective way to share bowling information, Cho started his YouTube channel. He said, "The video on 'how to give a hook (spin)'-a topic many bowlers are curious about-reached 1.85 million views," adding, "That video became the foundation for the channel's early growth."

While running a bowling alley in Suwon and filming videos, Cho's business was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. At that point, he decided to focus more on video content and began introducing experimental bowling videos. He resolved to address the questions that bowlers might have by demonstrating them himself, moving beyond simply teaching bowling techniques. Cho presented trick-shot videos such as "coating the lane with oil all the way and playing," "playing with no oil at all," and "making a strike by rolling the ball through a chair."

Cho explained, "I filmed a video every other day, almost obsessively. At the time, running the bowling alley was difficult, so YouTube was my only source of income, which made me even more desperate. The trick-shot videos led to explosive subscriber growth."

Recently, the most popular content on Bowling Mania features matches between former and current professional players. As the channel has grown into one that even pro bowlers are eager to appear on, viewers can now see both former and current players together. Unlike regular matches, the channel adds entertainment elements such as having guests do impressions or share updates about their lives, making the content enjoyable even for viewers unfamiliar with bowling. Bowling fans also get to see the more human side of players who are usually serious during competitions.

Cho is also involved in selling bowling equipment designed to address the inconveniences he experienced as a player. By utilizing the "YouTube Shopping" feature of the global e-commerce platform Cafe24, he displays products in the "Store" tab of the channel and within each piece of content.

The flagship product is a cleaner tissue primarily used for wiping bowling balls. Cho found the optimal ingredient ratio to keep the balls both shiny and clean. The tissues are designed so that a single sheet can clean three to four bowling balls. He also produces and sells other items such as a "ball cup" for cleaning bowling balls, "lifting tape" for wrapping around the hand, and a "one-ball bag" for carrying a single bowling ball.

Cho stated, "Because the products are made by a former national team member, I was able to accurately identify the needs of bowling enthusiasts. About 200,000 cleaner tissues have been sold so far, and even without separate marketing, 90% of sales come directly or indirectly through the YouTube channel."

Cho is determined to continue working to get more people interested in bowling. To that end, he plans to discover and introduce an even wider variety of bowling-related content and products. He has also released vlog content featuring visits to overseas bowling alleys.

Cho said, "Bowling is a perfect recreational sport that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age or gender, and in any season or weather. I want this channel to be one that bowling enthusiasts can continue to enjoy for a long time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.