Product placement: the final frontier

Adverts in the gents - is there no escape from consumerism? asks Howard Byrom

The gents, bog or privy; call it what you like, the same strict code of conduct always applies: keep your eyes and thoughts to yourself and never smile. But now the advertising industry is giving us somewhere to focus other than on the porcelain.

Trading your wares in the lavatory is one of life's taboos, but with acres of empty, tiled space just waiting to be filled, and few people immune to the call of nature, it's an advertiser's dream come true. Soon, the loo could become a prime advertising site.

Carl Pickford, managing director of advertising agency CPA, is the first to realise the potential of this wilderness. "The idea came from a nightclub where loads of people were queueing and had nothing to look at but the ceiling and walls. I thought about how the same applied to public toilets," he explains. And it seems his idea is paying off. "We now have 5,000 sites inside the M25, and can expand into 14,000 pubs and clubs."

In a pub loo in London's Soho, the heart of advertising land, CPA pitches for new clients to join a portfolio that includes Guinness and Virgin Cola. Its framed, A3 poster beams down from the wall, featuring a Loaded- style, dream blonde gripping a rocket-shaped lava lamp. The caption reads: "Every advertisers dream - a captive audience!"

But this is the lavatory - is nowhere sacred? "Some people might object, but one could argue the benefits," says Philip Spink of independent trade body The Advertising Association. "It makes the place look more pleasant. It's certainly in the contractors interests to maintain the sites."

Pressure group The Anti-Consumer Campaign takes a dim view. "It's the final frontier for product placement," says spokesman Joseph Ryan. "Sitting on the throne is one of the most relaxing things you can do. It would be somewhat disturbing to have a cola ad staring you in the face."

This isn't the first time the loo has been subject to commercialism. In the early Nineties in New York, a city notorious for its lack of public toilets, the authorities hatched a plan to provide facilities for its cross-legged population. In an attempt to attract private investors to build and manage conveniences, they sanctioned two advertising pillars for each toilet, built as a source of revenue for operational costs. But the public were outraged at the prospect and the contractors doubted their profitability.

Considering how sensitive manufacturers tend to be about their products, Pickford's strategy seems rather brave. But he is optimistic. "It's perfect. We're the only ones who can split the demographics; male and female, young or old. Our database tells us if it is a family pub or student club. These are prime sites for cosmetics, drinks and tobacco manufacturers."

No doubt the ad-men will find a wealth of toilet humour to draw on, but at least the punters now have somewhere to avert their eyes.