“Restroom advertising is naturally an efficient medium for targeting strictly male or female audiences.”

- Adweek

“The ads reach the audience most coveted by advertisers: 21-35 year olds who like to go out and spend money. Restroom ads also allow companies to target a gender with 100% accuracy.”

- Fortune

“If you went to the restroom three times, you'd read it again and again. Not only can indoor billboards reach a very discerning customer, but they've got that customer's undivided attention.”

- Inc.

“Talk about a captive audience!”

- The Jacksonville Business Journal

“Rest assured people have to read your ad...market studies have proven it to be effective.”

- The Business Journal

“What a perfect place for an ad.”

- The Houston Chronicle

“This was the only place in the world people would stand in line to read the advertising.”

- The Boston Globe

The primary response to this question is retention of ad content. People visiting the restroom are essentially a captive audience, spending some several minutes to do their business. During that time, they are receptive to reading and thus tend to read the ads.

78 percent of restroom visitors interviewed recalled one or more of the restroom ads, according to an Audits & Surveys Worldwide study.

The research into this area seems to generate three distinct advantages: Retention, Pre-Qualified Audience and Cost

Retention is how long a particular advertising message stays in the mind of the consumer, either activily or passively. Known in the advertising industry as 'stickiness'. We have all had an ad jingle running around our mind and of course, we have all become familiar with the Nike 'swoosh', the epitome of a branded logo. Yet these are only a few out of literally MILLIONS of ads placed every year. How many do you remember? That's right, darn few.

Evidence seems to indicate one of the premiere advantages of Bathroom Advertising is retention of the ad content. Having read your ad for several minutes, which is significantly longer than the average ad is viewed along with re-reading the same ad in several locations over time tends to lead much greater retention of the ad.

• 84% recalled seeing specific advertisements in the washrooms.
• 92% were able to name specific advertisers without prompting.
• 88% recalled at least FOUR selling points in the ads surveyed.
• 98% reacted positively or neutral to seeing ads in restroom facilities.

In sales, a 'pre-qualified' customer is one that has been determined to be either (a) serious about purchasing and/or (b) proven to be able to make purchase. So for advertising, a 'pre-qualified' audience is one who is capable and interested in using their discretionary income. The people who view your ad are 'out-on-the-town' in high-traffic locations, so therefore they are capable of making a purchase and have discretionary income to spend. This is a definite advantage for the advertiser, since you aren't paying to have many people view your ad who have no interest nor money to make such a purchase. Yet that is the case with most advertising media.

• 64% classify their occupations as Professional, Managerial, or Sales.
• 83% are between the ages of 25 and 54.
• The average respondent dines out 12.6 times per month.

Advertising is generally compared by a metric known as CPM (Cost per thousand) which is a cost of a thousand "impressions." An Impression is basically a viewing of the ad, whether it means passing a billboard on the freeway or listening to a commercial on the radio. Based on the traffic of people experiencing the ad (in thousands) against the cost of the placement yields the CPM. Here is a short comparison of CPM of various media. You will see the cost-effectiveness of bathroom advertising.

Comparison of Various Media CPM *
MEDIA	Net Cost	CPM
Restroom Advertising	varies	average $1.13
PRINT
Newspaper - Retail	$2800 for1/4 page	$6 - $4
Newspaper - Classified	$3800 for 1/4 page	$7 - $5
Newspaper - Weekly	$3227 1/4 page	$7 - $1
Newspaper - Flagship
TELEVISION
Early Morning (7am - 9am)	$90 - $150 / 30 seconds	$10 - $4
Daytime (9am - 4pm)	$100 - $300 / 30 seconds	$10 - $11
Early Fringe (4 - 7pm)	$350 - $750 / 30 seconds	$22 - $11
Early News (6 - 6:30pm)	$400 - 750 / 30 seconds	$11 - $10
Prime Access (7 - 8pm)	$550 - 800 / 30 seconds	$22 - $11
Prime Time (8 - 11pm)	$800 -$3000 / 30 seconds	$23 - 44
RADIO
Morning Drive	$90 - $190/minute	$8 - $13.57
Daytime	$80 - $150/minute	$8 - $11.53
Afternoon Drive	$90 - $175/minute	$8.18 - $13.46
• Based on one study, actual values may vary.