The multiple benefits of SaniPost are proving a hit with shopping centres
Published: 02 October, 2009
Managers are always on the lookout for effective advertising sites to attract more revenue into their centres. SaniPost, which combines outdoor advertising with a public hygiene service, seems to tick all the right boxes
SaniPost was launched by Nettoyer Media back in May. It is a free service that enables shoppers to clean their hands using a quick drying, alcohol-free foam. The dispenser inside the unit is sensor-operated, and the foam kills germs while being safe for children to use. And while the public can benefit from a free hygiene service, the unit carries three advertising faces to draw in additional revenue for the owner of each unit.
Warren Edmondson, who formed Nettoyer Media in order to develop and launch SaniPost, targeted shopping centres as the ideal location for his product. “Shopping centres are the best places for these units because they see the biggest footfall and dwell time,” he explains.
Edmondson was certain that offering a free public service to customers would appeal to centre managers. What with the units being seen and used by thousands of shoppers daily, their potential as outdoor advertising spaces is obvious.
And was he right? “Most regional shopping centres have installed the units, and Capital Shopping Centres has launched a national campaign after putting SaniPost into 11 centres across the UK. All the major shopping centres in Ireland also use them, and we are currently talking to other centres including Land Securities’ Cabot Circus,” confirms Edmonson.
The outbreak of swine flu helped things along as well. “Swine flu definitely escalated sales, although several shopping centres were interested in SaniPost before it came along. So swine flu’s not the be all and end all to our company,” he says.
Mungo Knott, who heads up the advertising for SaniPost, points out numerous benefits to advertising on the units. “Because they are providing both an amenity and an outdoor advertising space, there’s a high opportunity to see. People will spend eight seconds on average standing directly in front on the units to wash their hands, which gives advertisers a good communication opportunity,” explains Knott.
“And because SaniPost has three faces, advertising will be seen by shoppers travelling in all directions. This makes it quite unique in the world of outdoor advertising.”
The current game plan, according to Knott, is to raise awareness of the units so that potential advertisers and agencies can see the benefits. Advertising can be targeted towards specific shoppers depending on where the SaniPost units are placed in the centre, as well as the demographic of the centre itself.
Of course, there is no getting away from the credit crunch. Marketing budgets are already squeezed, so selling the advertising space on hundreds of units will undoubtedly be a challenge. But Knott is confident that the benefits will attract advertisers as soon as the recession wears off.
“SaniPost is attracting interest because it’s a new product and a new opportunity. Of course things are more difficult at the moment, but as more shopping centres install the units, they will become increasingly attractive because the advertising will be seen by a broader audience,” he says.
