It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

by nicole ~ November 12, 2008

Tree lighting in Rockefeller Center: check.  Santa Claus in Macy’s: check.  Toilets in Times Square: check? 

That’s right folks, holiday decoration has already begun to sprout up around the city and it won’t be long before the city is adorned with Santa’s, trees and clean public restrooms again.

For the third year in a row the Charmin sponsored public bathroom will make its holiday appearance in Times Square as part of their “Plush Potties for the People” 2008 National tour, promising “to grant New Yorkers and visitors alike their most urgent wish-clean, comfortable restrooms while they’re out and about” according to the Charmin website.  The tour has already made stops in LA, Chicago and Boston and will begin its run in New York City on November 24^th.

According to an Advertising Age blogger, “Each year has been a gift that keeps on giving for the brand, which has spawned a growing residue of YouTube videos and raves from visitors.”

Still being somewhat new to New York, I decided to do a little research on past iterations and came across this YouTube tour of the restroom’s debut in 2006.  I have to say, I agree with Ad Age and think this is a fantastic idea.  In general I’m a pretty big fan of advertisers providing goods and services people actually need and will use.  As a matter of fact, my Emblem Health hand sanitizer is sitting right here on my desk.

While it is unfortunate for patrons these restrooms are only temporary, I think it may actually be a smart marketing move.  While I’m sure the restrooms themselves would continue to see great traffic, media coverage would eventually die down.  With a new launch each year there is plenty of opportunity for new coverage.  While you shouldn’t expect to see this on the front page of the New York Times, each year has brought Charmin a decent about of buzz. Here’s a sampling from previous years:

From 2006:

New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2006/11/charmins_times_square_toilets.html

USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-21-charmin_x.htm

From 2007:

The Insider: http://www.theinsider.com/news/480442_Molly_Shannon_Opens_2007_Charmin_Deluxe_Public_Restrooms_in_Times_Square

New York Times: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/a-gift-of-potties-the-latest-in-a-quest-for-public-toilets/

Nicole Amato is an Account Executive at Mediashop PR and a graduate of Northeastern University with a BA in Journalism.