Stall Talk - Go Where the People Go!

Channel 6 (WATE) interview with Matt Tunstall, Founder & CEO of Stall Talk, Inc.

Stall Talk, Inc. — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:48:46 +0000

By HANA KIM
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – With the bad economy, a growing number of small businesses are sprouting up and many are working for themselves.

Matt Tunstall, a recent University of Tennessee graduate who was facing the weak economy, says he had a revelation about two months ago.

The idea was to charge businesses to place ads in and around the porta potties like the ones on the UT campus.

“We are actually expanding into Chicago right now,” said Tunstall.

With companies not adding jobs many are employing themselves. “We are seeing a great deal of those people,” said Rob Karpick, with Tennessee Small Business Development Centers.

Karpick works to guide and train aspiring small business owners.

He says if you want to open a business, do what you know and do what you love. “You have to eat, sleep and drink the business. You have to wake up and think about the business. Wake up in the middle of the night and think about it,” he said.

With many failing small businesses, Karpick says be smart about your money in the beginning. “You have to be very careful and not put too much investment,” he said.

“Most small businesses do fail,” said Tunstall. The 27 year old knows what’s at stake, but so far Tunstall says his business is thriving.

With no overhead and you could say a captive audience in his business, Tunstall says it’s a recipe for success. “You have no choice but to be in there so what else are they going to do right?” he said. “Exactly so we give them something to read.”

According to the Tennessee Small Business Development Centers, there was a 27% increase in small business start ups last year. Most of them are in Knox, Anderson and Blount counties.

Knoxville News Sentinel | Portable toilets transformed into ads

Stall Talk, Inc. — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:00:29 +0000

Blocks of portable toilets transformed to create mini-billboards

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.”

Channel 10 (WBIR) News | Portable toilets serve as new advertising medium

Stall Talk, Inc. — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:22:35 +0000

Written by
Steve Butera

Arguably, advertising can be seen nearly everywhere you go. Those who go to this year’s University of Tennessee’s season opener, will see messages appear in the most unlikely of places.

“What people are paying for in advertising is impressions,” said Matt Tunstall, Founder & CEO of Stall Talk, Inc. He’s working with Five Star Portables to get advertising on all portable bathrooms on and around the UT campus.

“We went from 1, to 2, to 3, to 4 and making a scene of Portajohns. And I know of, or aware of, there’s no one in the country that does this,” said Butch Hawkins with Five Star Portables.

Tunstall and Hawkins collaborated to put ads on multiple portable toilets, creating a panoramic picture.

“They never created murals all the way across. They only advertised on all four sides for the exact same cost that we can present an advertiser with a larger message,” Tunstall added.

Workers at Power T Graphics worked to get the first two advertiser’s portable toilets ready for Saturday’s game.

“Portajohns are not the most popular thing in the world,” said Doug Minter with the Knoxville Chamber. “We need them, you’ve got to use them. But using them for a medium for advertising makes it a little more attractive.”

However, this creation is still generating some buzz.

“We look to have (the portable toilets) all booked, and not only booked for this season, we’re already talking to people about next season,” Hawkins added.

Tunstall said his out-of-the-box idea is generating some big business.

“Once we saw the placement of where the advertising is, right here on the University of Tennessee campus, we knew we had something good,” Tunstall said

He added there are plans for this form of advertising at other Knoxville events, including Sundown in the City, in the future.

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=182357

Knoxville News Sentinel | Matt Tunstall describes his business Stall Talk

Stall Talk, Inc. — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:22:08 +0000

Matt Tunstall, founder and CEO of Stall Talk, talks about how his business facilitates putting advertisements on port-a-johns Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 at the University of Tennessee.