Ballin’ the Pinball Way: Conceptualizing the WALLIN Framework for Transitioning from Linear to Collaborative Social Media Advertising

This research examines the transition from a linear advertising approach (also known as “the bowling alley” approach) to a much more collaborative approach known as “pinball advertising.” We provide significant background information regarding the effectiveness of “the bowling alley,” and explore the benefits and risks associated with switching to the collaborative pinball approach for social media advertising. We developed our own framework for analysis, called the WALLIN framework. Included in the WALLIN framework is the impact of word-of-mouth (WOM), active consumers, leadership, lane shifting, implications, and networks in terms of moving away from the ‘old’ approach and toward the ‘new.’ We utilize case research to develop our findings, with the prospect of highlighting the biggest benefit of pinball advertising based WALLIN framework: giving the power back to the people. The notion of paying attention to what consumers have to say is one that may seem essential to the success of a business, but surprisingly, not one that all businesses follow. Through our paper, we focus on the importance of paying attention to electronic WOM through utilization of the pinball advertising approach. The research addresses questions of how switching to a collaborative pinball advertising driven WALLIN advertising approach positively impact organizational success; what are the pros and cons of moving toward the new advertising approach; and how does WALLIN framework impact social media driven learning and educational needs of organizational employees and individual consumers in business-to-business and business-to-consumer settings.