The concept for the in-urinal entertainment products stems from a recent study that proved that giving men something to aim at reduces spillage. The study was conducted in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where a black outline of a fly was etched into the porcelain of a urinal. The results were undeniable as the flies improved men’s aim and reduced spillage by 80%. Most recently, the fly-in-urinal concept was touted by engineering professor Kim Vicente in his book, The Human Factor, as a prime example of “human-friendly design.”
“If you go to the men’s washrooms at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, you may notice there’s a fly in the urinals. So what do you think most men do? That’s right, they aim at the fly when they urinate. They don’t even think about it, and they don’t need to read a user’s manual; it’s just an instinctive reaction. The interesting feature of these urinals is that they’re deliberately designed to take advantage of this inherent human male tendency.”
Direct Aim Marketing, using the sports-themed urinal screens, has taken this concept to the next level by providing a more interactive sports-themed concept that demands an even greater level of concentration. Instinctively a relieving male will focus on the sports-themed target and aim at it resulting in reduced spillage and cleaner restrooms.
Once the focus and attention of the most elusive demographic to market to was secured through the urinal devices the next step was logical, advertise to them!
The idea to use the urinal screens as an advertising medium comes from the mission of advertisers to explore new avenues to reach the target consumer. A May 2007 McKinsey study, “How Consumer Goods Companies are Coping with Complexity” addresses this issue:
“More than 80 percent of the survey respondents say that the declining efficacy of television, radio, and print advertising is pushing them to experiment with new media such as Internet banner ads and paid search, product placements in video games, and cell phones. Further, a significant number of marketers say that their spending on nontraditional media has increased significantly over the past three years.”
Everybody benefits, the restrooms are cleaner and an advertiser is able to target an elusive demographic. And so, Direct Aim Marketing was founded as the pioneer of in-urinal entertainment and alternative marketing.
