Flying to new, strange heights in advertising

There is nothing so refreshing after a long flight than nipping into the restrooms to wash your hands and make sure you don’t look like you’ve been sitting in a cramped plane for a few hours.

Mirrus

Imagine looking up into the mirror, expecting to see yourself looking back, and seeing a blaring advertisement for Geico insurance zooming up into the corner of the mirror. I appreciate that little gecko as much as the next person, but he is not what I plan on seeing in the airport’s bathrooms.


This is what travelers from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport can expect to see when they stop by the rest rooms. Pepsi, Dove’s body care for men line, Pledge cleaning products, and Microsoft are a few of the advertisers looking to benefit from this newly targeted audience.

Clear Channel Airports’ spokesman Toby J Sturek told the UK’s Daily Mail in a March 8 article “These displays create unique opportunities for marketers to deliver targeted messages that are highly impactful and relevant to consumers.”

As Tnooz writer, Denis Schall, jokes in his March 7 article that from a marketing aspect, there is no better way segment an audience than a men’s room and a lady’s room.

These mirror-advertisement hybrids are made possible by Clear Channel Airports’ teaming up with Mirrus technology. At face value, the technology is rather straight forward and has already been installed in some sports areas. This video created by Mirrus captures the essence of the technology:



It may seem like advertisers are just tossing advertisements in every possible place people might pass in their daily live; however, Mirrus’ founder and president, Brian Reid, assured CNN in a March 6 article, the company chose to target audiences in the bathroom. He points out that bathrooms are often the last place people stop before boarding a plane and the first stop when the plane lands.

Reid also underlines the fact that these mirrors are over the sinks in the bathroom, so doing your business is still a private matter.

digital signage expo

While it was only a matter of time before advertisements crossed the boundary into bathrooms, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this new technology. It does seem like a new and innovative way to reach the most ideal target audience. I totally agree with Mirrus and Clear Channel’s thinking there. But, contrary to what Reid and Strurek have told reporters, I don’t feel particularly receptive in the bathroom to messages being sent to me through a mirror. Maybe I am too focused to realize that I am incredibly focused, mistaking that amazing focus for an intense desire to wash my hands and move on with my day.

Focused or not, if these mirrors prove successful in Chicago, passengers can expect to see advertisements smiling back at them in the mirrors of other airport bathrooms.