We’ve watched the majority of airlines discover unique ways of adding to their coffers … charging for extra bag fees, window and aisle seats, WiFi, movies, snacks, blankets, additional leg room, and boarding sequence to name just a few. There’s serious talk now about charging bathroom use and overhead bins.
Apparently, it’s worked so well for airplanes that the airports are jumping on the bandwagon in their search for potential revenue generators. I’ve recently witnessed a number of terminals that are placing ads in the bins used for transporting our belongings through security X-ray machine.
Now, they’re attempting to sell ads to companies that are willing to pitch their products and services to travelers in the bathrooms! They’ve recently rolled out a campaign using 150 mirror ads at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. In the future. the man in the bathroom mirror could be someone trying to sell you car insurance or deodorant.
When a traveler walks into select airport bathrooms, he or she will see movie poster-style ad displays over the sinks. Some are still images, while other are high definition videos.
As a traveler walks to the sink to wash his or her hands, the full-frame ads shrink into the corner to “reveal” a mirror.
Brian Reid, the founder and president of Mirrus, the company that manufactures the mirror ads, says:
“Bathrooms are often the last places people stop before they board an airplane, and the first places they visit when they get off an airplane.”
Reid says sensors detect when a traveler steps in front of the mirror and track how long they stand there, but no cameras watch or record reactions to the mirror ads.
Thus far, some pretty big advertisers have signed up, including Pepsi, Geico, Illy coffee, Microsoft, Dove, Spanx and Zappos.com. Airports share in the ad revenues and virtually do little or nothing to maintain the new source of advertising.
Mirror ads are also being used in sports arenas across the country, venues where there are only two places people are guaranteed to visit: their seat and the bathroom.
According to Clear Channel, market research suggests consumers remember brands advertised in mirrors at a rate of five times greater than other methods of advertising. The location of the mirror ads also allows advertisers to target gender-specific audiences.
Take a look at this short video and see how you feel about this newest attempt to make a buck at the expense of your privacy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9J5rygMNFw
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.