This article below does a great job of talking about captive audience advertising and in particular, restroom advertising. It is a great read, but I suggest you read the article at it's source, by clicking here. - Damon
Today I stumbled on a blog entry by Chris Brogan discussing how social media tools allow people to bypass barriers. I enjoyed it so much that I did some further venturing of recent blog posts and found one that discussed ambient advertising, in particular bathroom ads. Based on his title Advertising at the Point of Need, his blog post is very accurate!
In the form of a rebuttal, I am going to defend ambient advertising through its benefits and a couple specific examples.
As a male, I spend anywhere from 20-60 seconds in front of a urinal, with nothing to look at but tiled walls. Women may even spend more time in the stalls (but I don't know for sure...they always seem to go in groups so they may be spending that extra time in front of the mirror!). One thing I do know for sure...ambient ads offer an advertiser the opportunity to determine the gender that views their ads! On that same note, if the advertiser offers a product/service that targets both genders, they have the ability to execute the creative for each ad knowing their audience. In no other form of media are you GUARANTEED to reach one gender or another.
Mini Cooper : Test Your Handling Skills!
Above is an Ad for Schizophrenia Awareness!
Ambient ads also allow for effective geographic targeting. Take a gym for example. For the most part, people don't travel more than a few minutes to work out. So if you are a gym with a limited advertising budget or with minimal locations (so mass media doesn't make business sense), ambient ads offer an opportunity for you to reach the local crowd. Whether you're wanting to create a presence in a new area or increase awareness in the businesses around you, this is a feasible solution!
This form of advertising also allows you to target based on lifestyle. Why DUI lawyers aren't covering every board, in both bathrooms, at the most popular bars in their area baffles me! Where else can you guarantee that your name gets in front of someone who may need your services?
With bathroom advertising, your audience is a captive one, mostly due to a lack of options of things to look at...so take advantage of it! How you ask? In your ad, include the following: Company name, logo, contact info, and a call to action using a SMS plan such as Go Time. This will allow your potential client to text in to receive a coupon or enter a contest!
