Toilet Ads

What's the play

Selling ad space on a toilet, then make brands bid against each other for it out in the open. Nick projection-mapped ads onto his own toilet bowl, posted transparent prices, and let companies fight to be crowned 'King of the Throne.'

What was the alternative?

Polish your demo reel and cold-pitch agencies for freelance motion work like every other designer.

Results / what moved

Nick's first post went viral within days. Clorox, Pine-Sol, MiraLAX, Dr Squatch, and MoonPay all bought spots and bid each other up for the 'King of the Throne' title. One video crossed 40 million views. MoonPay said it pulled a million Instagram views and 1,000+ new followers in 24 hours for a spend worth 0.05% of its annual marketing budget. Nick passed $100k in six months and landed national radio coverage.

Cost breakdown

A projector, projection-mapping software, and your own design time. If you already have the creative skills, you're looking at a few hundred dollars in gear.

Time to pull off

The first post went viral within 4 days. The real work is showing up daily after that.

Would you run it again?

Nick would. He ignored the 'why would you give him money' comments and crossed $100k in six months.

Steps

1. 1

   Pick an unskippable surface

   Find something you own that people physically can't scroll past. Nick picked his toilet bowl.

2. 2

   Make it a real medium

   Use projection mapping so brands get animated, swappable placements instead of a sticker you slap on once.

3. 3

   Price it in public

   Post transparent pricing so the bit feels honest and brands know exactly what they're buying into.

4. 4

   Launch it as a bit

   Frame it as a joke about your own situation. Nick leaned all the way into 'unemployment final boss.'

5. 5

   Run a bidding war

   Let brands outbid each other for the top spot and crown a winner. Competition does your selling for you.

6. 6

   Turn placements into content

   Make every placement its own video and tag the brand so they reshare to their audience for free.

7. 7

   Ignore the haters

   The 'this is so stupid' comments are fuel. Keep posting and let the numbers answer them.

Notes

Nick's bathroom is still a working bathroom, so space is tight and every shoot is a timing puzzle. Expect brand lawyers to negotiate over something absurd, in his case logo placement on a toilet seat. The move only travels because the surface is actually unskippable and a little unhinged, so a generic stunt won't carry the same weight. Pick a surface that matches a skill you already have. Nick was a motion designer who practiced projection mapping on eggs, which is why the toilet read as a canvas instead of a cheap gimmick.