It had to happen, and it finally did. Audio-visual advertising has elbowed its way into one of the urban jungle's last sanctuaries: The public loo.

There are a couple of ways to look at this thing. Critics may be inclined to whimper because the sanctity of another fine and private place has been violated. But it's probably more appropriate to celebrate the finesse and youthful chutzpah that knocked down the door of this particular stall.

"We're getting from 1,000-1,500 people a day through a single washroom," enthused Doug Pilsner, the 28-year-old front man for Pmedia Corp. of Lethbridge, a small private company that successfully pitched the scheme to one of Canada's major mall owners.

"We have motion sensors which enable us to tell our advertisers how many people have seen their ads, right down to gender, location and time of day," Pilsner added.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
Doug Pilsner looks to install Pmedia's screens in 11 Ivanhoe Cambridge properties by yearend.

At the moment, Pmedia's high- resolution screens and ceiling sound systems are doing their thing in public johns at Southcentre and Sunridge Mall in Calgary, each owned by Ivanhoe Cambridge of Montreal.

Total viewers: More than 130,000 viewers every month.

Watch out, Edmonton. You're next. By the end of the year, restroom screens are to be installed in 11 Ivanhoe Cambridge properties throughout Western Canada.

Shaw Communications, Mazda and the United Way of Calgary and Area have joined Pmedia's roster of advertisers, and Pilsner has a way of explaining the medium's appeal that makes a certain amount of sense.

First of all, visitors to a public restroom represent the definitive captive audience. They can't flip channels, push fast forward, hit the mute button or mosey to the fridge when a commercial comes on.

"If you see an ad on our system, however, you can probably make the purchase within 100 feet of where you're standing" (or sitting, as the case may be), Pilsner reasoned.

"Besides, consumers in the mall are already in the proper mindset to make purchasing decisions."

As Pilsner explained, the company delivers a comprehensive viewership report every month, enabling advertisers to accurately evaluate their numbers.

"Traditional TV advertisers never really know who has seen their ads," added Pilsner. "We provide that feedback and our advertisers can really sit down and cross-reference that viewership report with their sales."

Pmedia's ace in the hole is a piece of patented, super-smart software that enables Pilsner's team - he's aligned with two silent partners - to upload advertising content directly from the Lethbridge head office. Therefore, it's no trick at all to run short-term promotions and even one-day sales.

"We've implemented a speaker system that's able to detect decibel levels in the washroom and adjust volume level accordingly," he added. "So the volume is never offensive but is always audible," which may or may not be good news for lovers of privacy and peace.

Once the system is installed, Pilsner says, it's virtually maintenance-free. And, depending on the whim of the advertisers, still imagery, computer graphics, video content and audio voice-overs can be theirs for the asking.

A precocious and confident young man, Pilsner's background is in graphic design. He studied visual communications at Edmonton's Grant MacEwan College and created his own private graphic arts company before hooking up with his current partnership team about three years ago.

But Pmedia was slow to make progress until Pilsner decided to jump in with both feet. He picked up a phone and proposed a partnership arrangement to Leigh Rosar, director of partnership programs for Ivanhoe Cambridge.

It was an inspired choice. More than 250 million consumers prowl through Ivanhoe Cambridge's Canadian malls every year, or about four times the annual turnstile count at Disneyland.

After Pmedia delivered an interactive CD-ROM tour of its system to the Ivanhoe-Cambridge head office, the two companies hammered out details of a national partnership program.

"Under terms of the partnership, we pay a combination of rent and percentage (i.e. of ad revenue). We install, maintain and sell the ad space for our systems and they provide the venue," Pilsner said.

"I think we approached them at the correct time," he continued. "They were already researching opportunities in poster advertising, but they were excited about doing something a bit more cutting edge."

As Pmedia finalizes plans for additional installations in the West, Pilsner and associates are making presentations with an eye to landing similar deals in Eastern Canada and the U.S., where their technology is also patent-protected.

So wait for it. Gender-specific TV advertising is coming to a loo near you.

Web watch: www.pmediacorporation.net

(Tom Keyser can be reached at tomk@businessedge.ca)