Knoxville News Sentinel | Portable toilets transformed into ads

Blocks of portable toilets transformed to create mini-billboards

Photo by Adam Brimer, copyright © 2011 //

Matt Tunstall poses on top of portable toilets that have advertisements facilitated by his company, Stall Talk, on the G-10 parking garage at the University of Tennessee Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. (ADAM BRIMER/NEWS SENTINEL)

 

By Carly Harrington

Posted September 8, 2011 at 9 p.m.

When Dan Burks was approached about advertising on the outside of multiple portable toilets, the owner of HoundDogs admitted he was skeptical.

But once he saw the graphic design and layout, any concerns Burks may have had was gone.

“We jumped at the opportunity. It looks like a mini billboard,” he said. “It’s a chance for us to get our name on campus. It’s a unique way to do it and it’s working.”

From the University of Tennessee campus to the Tennessee Valley Fair, blocks of portable toilets are being transformed into mural-like ads.

Each portable unit is individually wrapped to create a picture, said Matt Tunstall, owner of Stall Talk Inc., a media company that sells indoor and outdoor advertising in bathrooms.

Tunstall collaborated with Butch Hawkins, owner of Five Star Portables, to sell advertising wraps on more than 500 portable toilets.

It was an idea that Hawkins said he had been wanting to do for years.

“No one else is doing this,” Hawkins said. “Considering we’ve only been at it for three weeks, there’s been a lot of interest.”

In addition to HoundDogs, other businesses that have taken an interest include South Central Media, Harley-Davidson of Knoxville, Century 21, Sugarbakers and Jim Cogdill Dodge.

The advertising integrates mobile marketing software that allows businesses to capture information about who their customers are by scanning various social networks.

For instance, the advertisements feature a local or toll-free “1-800″ number that allows users to receive a special offer via their mobile phone. Callers provide their name and email address. This gives the advertiser an opportunity to build a mobile marketing database, Tunstall said.

“I knew people had not figured out a good system for mass advertising on bathrooms,” said Tunstall, who plans to expand the concept into Chicago in the coming months.

Thame Johnson, who handles events and marketing at Knoxville Harley-Davidson, said the advertising medium is an effective way to capture the attention of passers-by from the large amount of foot traffic to the sheer size of the ad, which allows it to be viewed from a distance.

“It’s also appealing because you have a captive audience,” Johnson said. “It’s a great, fun way to brand your business.”

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.