Here is another imaginative marketing concept that may get you thinking along original lines–maybe too original! Fumakilla, a Japanese pesticide manufacturer, has introduced bug spray promotional campaign that makes use of heat-sensitive, color-changing stickers placed in urinals at public restrooms around JR Shinjuku station.

Starting under ordinary dry conditions, the special stickers depict a housefly in the crosshairs of a rifle scope, but as users take aim at the stickers and relieve themselves, the fly image transforms into an advertising message. According to a report in the Pink Tentacle blog:

The stickers are printed with a layer of special, heat-sensitive ink developed by Pilot Ink. When the sticker is exposed to a certain amount of heat, this layer of ink becomes transparent, revealing an advertisement printed underneath. Dai Nippon Printing, who manufactured the stickers for Fumakilla, designed them to withstand the rigors of being placed in a public urinal for extended periods of time. Fumakilla says that in addition to serving as a form of advertising, the stickers provide men with a convenient target to aim for when using urinals, which leads to a cleaner restroom environment.

The company has also launched a website featuring a simple Flash game called “Ippatsu Meichu,” which allows players to test their fly-shooting skills in a virtual lavatory. But if the players not only miss but also make a mess, they get a visit from the angry toilet lady.

Source: “Heat-Sensitive Urinal Stickers as Bug Spray Marketing Gimmick,” Pink Tentacle 06/14/07.
Related Post: “Say It with Crackers,” EBT Blog 06/06/07.

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