Washroom advertising help brands to get noticed:Ritika Khatri,Creanno Entertainment
Washroom advertising help brands to get noticed:Ritika Khatri,Creanno Entertainment

In a candid conversation with retailer team, Ritika Khatri, Creanno Entertainment shares her views on branding.

 Name the brands for whom you have advertised in the loo's of prominent malls. Also, name the malls where the advertisements have been placed.

There are lot of brands who have done washroom activity/have taken branding space inside the loos like Reckitt Benckiser, Dabur, Lux, Jaguar, L'Oreal, Revlon, Piramal, Parryware, Sony Pix, Zee TV, Dove Deodorant, Whisper, UTV Action, etc. which can be seen on a regular basis and they are very much active for this kind of branding throughout the year.

Washroom branding is almost available inside all the prominent malls, shopping complexes, multiplexes, Café Outlets, Bars & Clubs, etc. the names of the few are mentioned below :

Malls like TGIP-Noida, Select City Walk-Saket, DLF Prominade Mall-Vasant Kunj, Pacific Mall-Subhash Nagar, Metro Walk-Rohini, etc.

Multiplexes like PVR Cinemas, DT Cinemas, Big Cinemas, Fun Cinemas, Inox & Fame, etc.

If I am talking about shopping complexes it's available with Shopper's Stop, Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, etc. and in case of café outlets - Café Coffee Day is there for the brands and you can also find out the some other places too like High-ends Bars, Cafes, Clubs, Gyms& Salons.

Have you noticed trends while advertising for the brands? For instance, a category of brand interested in loo ads...?

Yes, ofcourse! From last 5-6years this format of unconventional media has been rapidly rising in our country, reason because -brand recall and positive brand association are very high with this type of branding + why would any brand want to miss out this chance of spending exclusive time with their target audience. As, washrooms/loos are a point of consumption where brands can directly connect with the users in a clutter-free manner without any disturbance which can be last from 30 sec (min.) to 4 minutes (max.)and are also an ideal medium for gender targeted advertising, to convey more intimate messages.

Besides, we have seen almost every category of brand who are coming ahead and has participated or have taken space inside the loos for a display of their product/message/sharing of latest news throughout the year. But yes, we can surely see some of the major category of brands belongs to personal & healthcare products like Dettol, I-sure, Whisper, I-pill, Harpik, Freedom-5, Odonil, Godrej Aer, Mankind Products, Piramal Healthcare, etc.

Advertisements inside the washrooms can be strategically placed where they receive high volume viewing, such as over urinals, on the back of cubicle/stall doors, on the floors at the entrance of washrooms (floor stickers), on the mirrors (mirror stickers), beside hand dryers and in wash basins, also there's an options of standee placement inside the loos, wall wraps, or even we can conduct sampling activity there as well.

Are loos an effective model for brands to advertise? Do they observe a rise in sales, etc.?

Yes, it is one of the effective and emerging media tool for brands to get advertised inside the loos as it gives a brand to get one-on-one moment of impact with their target audience.

Second thing, it's not about sales always! As, washroom advertising gives a brand to get noticed immediately without any ignorance or disturbance thus there's a high percentage of brand recall in consumer's mind which can be converted into sales at the later stage.

 How do the people react to it, because in India washrooms are considered dirty and not a place where one can freshen up?

See, the standard of washrooms has been improved here in India so the mindset of the public too. Here, our audienceswho use to visit in any top-end cinemas, café outlets, multiplexes, clubs do not perceive the restroom in the conventional way anymore but instead they see it as a place to freshen up say during an interval of  movie, party, or use these places to retouch their outfits and looks.

Thus, this change of mind & standard of people and of loos in our country gives brand a golden opportunity to get placed/visible exactly in front of their audiences when they are alone and frankly speaking we (audiences) want something to read & enjoy.

6. Is the model becoming popular among the retailers? Do they increasingly want to advertise in the washrooms?

Yes, this model is actually becoming popular and gaining attention of the retailers but like we say in economics - "It's increasing at a decreasing rate".

Besides, I feel that all the retailers are not very much open to this new concept and the reasonmay be they are scared to go wrong against their brand value/concept or afraid to be dropped back by the consumers/TG.

But, the main essence is how we are presenting our brand - through innovation/customized solution for the TG and this concept of loo branding can take an important place in every media plan.

 In your personal opinion, do loo ads help and do they have an impact?

Yes, as an audience I would say even I use to enjoy/read an ads placed inside these loos. Moreover, If I am talking about an impact I would suggest every brand to participate once as they will get: an immediate attention, sufficient time to get noticed, high volume of brand recall, no ignorance, etc. and as an audience it gives us a benefit like as: we get something to read/enjoy, get to know directly about the product here (which we may skip on tv/newspaper), and ofcourse its create a reminder.

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