The restroom may seem like an odd place to advertise, but sometimes it’s the most effective way to really grab an audience’s attention. Restrooms are everywhere – trade shows, luxury events – all perfect for ambient advertising.

In 1998, Dennis Roche, president of Zoom Media, inspired a whole new advertising medium, and the Indoor Billboard Advertising Association was born. Soon, advertisers became excited about the possibilities of advertising in restrooms, although understandably wanted to refrain from “potty humor.” There are no distractions when it comes to ambient advertising in restrooms, which is why it works so well. It’s a location where people thrive on privacy and don’t usually socially interact with strangers, so they focus on what’s in front of them.

While your audience range is limited to those who are in the bathroom when you run the campaign, memorable restroom ad needs to be seen only once or twice to have its message absorbed and increase brand awareness. A surprising number of people actually use their mobile phones in the bathroom, so your message could spread like wildfire.

Here are some creative restroom advertisements that stuck out in recent years:

Purell Campaign

And perhaps one of the more tasteless (but still creative and fun) approaches was the Guitar Pee promotion, brought to you by Billboard.

Natan Jewelry, Sao Paulo Brazil