According to an article from CNN, the O'Hare International Airport at Chicago has installed advertising mirrors in the public restrooms. Is there anywhere advertising won't go?
Apparantly not. The CNN article describing this new venture in advertising was released in March 2011, so the medium has actually been in use for a while. In short, the mirrors appear to be a full-length, glassy advertisement until an individual steps close enough to activate a motion sensor. Ads on the mirrors then shrink and migrate to the upper left-hand corner, allowing the individual to see his or her reflection as well as the ad, which may be still or video.
In addition, the motion sensors track how long an individual stands in front of the mirror to accurately measure the duration of ad viewing. According to Brian Reid, the founder and president of the Mirrus company, the idea of putting ads in public restrooms is "beautiful" because restrooms are one of the most popular places in airports and people are truly focused while there...
I, however, think this is one instanse where advertising has gone too far. Although there are no cameras installed in the mirrors, just the idea of having something monitor how long I stand in front of the bathroom mirror gives me an uneasy feeling. Even though the ads are near the sink and not the stalls, I would like to argue that ads were once always outside the bathroom door. What will stop them from going one step further? Our ad writing class recently discussed how targeting an audience can sometimes be viewed as invasion of privacy. This type of advertising takes that issue to a whole new level.
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