Can’t Escape Ads

An advertising firm has discovered the most private inner space of all--public toilet stalls--and has come out of the water closet, bringing its ad campaign to Los Angeles.

National Indoor Advertising’s eye-level, four-panel promos have begun showing up on the inside stall doors of office building restrooms all over the Southland, treating a captive audience to airline, auto, clothing and other ads. There are even public service spots from the National Cancer Society, in case you are prone to puff in the john.

“People kind of have time on their hands” in the restroom, says Thomas W. Kelly of Denver-based National Indoor Advertising. “Most people we’ve talked to get a kick out of it.”

The ads, tailored to men’s and women’s interests, change every fortnight; people complained they got tired of reading the same thing for weeks on end.