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Odd spot
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Sumeela Katakam brings the concept of advertising in restrooms to the twin cities. SYEDA FARIDA finds out more on the concept
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Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
Restroom Designer Sumeela Katakam of Odd Spots at Prasad's IMAX.
TALK OF a restroom as an advertisement option in the city and the client would probably consider it flushing dear money and brand equity down the drain. Not really when rest room signages are a hit the world over today.
Placed above sinks, next to vanity mirrors in women's rest rooms, at entrances and exits, above relief stations and on other wall spaces in men's rooms, these vinyl and LCD screens feature artwork for high profile clients such as Suzuki, Kawasaki, ESPN, Southwest Airlines and BMW. The details of an Elton John concert, baseball season at Boston's Fenway Park and more can be seen in soccer stadiums, lounge bars, and nightclubs.
Advertising in restrooms has been around in the West for over ten years. And now makes a foray in Hyderabad. Bringing the concept to town is Sumeela Katakam, the 23-year old go-carting champion who heads Odd Spots Advertising.
"I stumbled on the concept in London where I was working in a hi-end designer store. I wanted to take up fashion merchandising but realised that half the world is doing it. That is when I thought of restroom advertising and found the concept challenging and different."
"You get a captive audience for 30 to 120 seconds. They don't flick through channels and nor are they driving past and one has to grab the eyeball in a matter of seconds as in a billboard. Restroom advertisements have an 84 per cent recall rate. Plus you can have gender specific advertisements such as cosmetics, deodorants or automobiles," says Sumeela.
Entering a restroom in Prasad's IMAX, one is pleasantly surprised to see the bare walls decked with neatly spaced advertisements.
One finds automobiles and men's wear stores in the gents and laundry service in the ladies - is that gender discrimination or what?
There is also a dash of graffiti, "collected over a period of time," she says. The copy in this space often ties into the restroom theme. If ESPN The Magazine used "because you can't get cable in the bathroom," a local pub describes its Patiala peg with a "size does matter" tag line.
As for the response, "it's mixed. Many don't want to associate with restrooms. People who have travelled abroad are familiar with the concept and I don't have to do much selling. Further, an essential criterion is attractive and clean restrooms," says Sumeela.
"It has come up in a very good way. The concept adds value to the IMAX and the response has been amazing with people going around reading the signages and even writing down contact numbers," says D.V. Prasad, head sales Prasad Media Corporation Ltd about the barely a month old signages installed in restrooms here.
In a situation where agencies are trying innovative outdoors, here is someone who has already hit the bull's eye choosing an odd spot to start with. What next?
"Anything unique. There are so many forms of advertisements left. I am working on few of them as also looking at new malls and other good traffic areas and subsequently other metros. I plan to take it further step by step," says Sumeela.
The only girl in the men's racing category, apart from winning the women's go-carting championship recently held in the twin cities, Sumeela is selected for the FISSME (Formula India Single Seater Maruti Engine) JK Tyres event at Coimbatore. "Go-carting is a hobby. And the agency is my vocation," she sums up as she takes her concept ahead in top gear.
Few facts
THE ADVERTISING community over seas calls them Stadium Restroom Frames. Here are a few facts on rest room advertisement.
Founder: Houstonbased company Headlines USA.
Locations: Health clubs, beauty and bridal salons, restaurants, bars, racetracks and stadiums.
Clients: BMW, Ford Motor., Co, Suzuki, South west Airlines, TCI Cablevi sion, ESPN.
USP: 30-180 seconds captive audience and 84 per cent recall rate.
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