For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathy Bell
212/645-6900

THEY'VE DONE OPRAH, TODAY AND ROSIE - THE FINAL STOP ON THEIR CAMPAIGN TRAIL SHOULD BE THE BATHROOM

New Study Shows If You're Running For President And You Can't Take A New Yorker's Attention Away From The Subway Series, You Ain't Got A Pot To Pssssss In

November 6, 2000, New York, NY -- DiMassimo Brand Advertising, a New York City based advertising agency, conducted a study by placing certain messages about the presidential candidates- both true and untrue-in bathrooms at select bars during games 1 and 2 of the World Series. The point of the survey was to compare people's ability to retain information they read in a bathroom to that of general information about the most gripping New York event in the last 56 years. The five messages were the following:

* Gore had a nose job,
* Bush has a birthmark on his butt in the shape of Texas,
* Gore has a 14-point lead in the polls,
* Bush plans to cut the middle class tax to 25%, and
* Gore plans to keep the retirement age from rising to age 70.

The survey, which DiMassimo developed to support a new bathroom placed ad campaign for Crunch Fitness, not only tested the validity of bathroom messages on the whole, but also compared the strength of different placements throughout private sanctuaries - within a stall, above a urinal, and by the sink.

In general, the study demonstrated that the power of the toilet is truly an untapped communication vehicle that is just beginning to be flushed out by marketers. In fact, findings show that communicating with people when their hands might be busy, but their minds tend to be idle, is so powerful that it 'unseats' even the muscle of a Subway Series. In other words, the flush beat Flushing, Queens and the room that Kohler built beat the house that Ruth built. The study found that bathroom messages not only beat the campaign, but were also far more effective than most political advertisements. For instance:

* After the game, people were three times more likely to remember the bathroom message that Gore was against raising the retirement age to 70 than that Jose Vizcaino hit the winning RBI single in Game 1.
* Only 23% of people surveyed were able to name a company who advertised during the games, however, 28% of people surveyed remembered the bathroom message that Bush plans to cut the maximum tax rate for the middle class to 25%.
* People who went to the bathroom were nine times more likely to remember the political messages than people who said they had watched all three debates but didn't go to the bathroom.
* Men who used urinals were 13% more likely to remember a political message than those who sat in a stall.

"In this day and age of technology, where it has gotten harder and harder to reach people, surprisingly, one of the oldest and most archaic places has proven most effective at getting your message out," explained Mark DiMassimo, President and Executive Creative Director of DiMassimo Brand Advertising. "If you think about it, the bathroom is the perfect place to find an extremely captive audience."

Mark DiMassimo is available for interviews.

Did You Know That...
According to a Study by DiMassimo Brand Advertising

Maybe Budweiser Should Take Some Bathroom Space
Surprisingly, only 16% of people were able to name one sponsor with a billboard in Yankee stadium, while in general 62% of people remembered a political message in a bathroom.

Stare Straight Ahead and Read
The area in the bathroom where the message had the greatest retention was the urinal, with the stall in a close second, and the sink in the third. A distant forth was above the hand dryer or towel dispenser.

The Ideal Place To Get The Women's Votes
Women in the stall were twice as likely to remember the political messages they saw compared to men in the stall.

Pinocchio
41% of people came out of the bathroom believing the message that Al Gore had a nose job, while only 18% of people knew what Yankee batted in the tying run in the ninth inning of Game 1.

Deep in the Heart of Texas
People were three times more likely to come out of the bathroom remembering the bathroom message that Bush has a birthmark on his butt in the shape of Texas compared to knowing who scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 1.

Gore Isn't The Only One To Blow A Lead
More people came out of the bathroom believing the message that Gore had a 14-point lead in the polls than people who knew who pitched for the Mets in the 12th inning of Game 1 (54% to 41%).

It's The Personal Stuff That Really Matters
Personal type messages held the most retention the message that Bush has a birthmark on his butt in the shape of Texas was number one, with the message about Gore having a nose job coming in a close second. Coming in third was the message regarding Gore's lead being up to 14 points and the two true statements tying for fourth - the message about Bush's tax rate and Gore's social security plan.

It Was 6 to Nothing
People were twice as likely to remember a political message from the bathroom compared to who hit a homerun for the Mets in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 2.

That's Gullible With A "P".
Men in stalls were four times as likely to remember the bathroom message about Gore's nose job compared to women in stalls; however, women in stalls were twice as likely to remember the bathroom message about Gore's social security plan compared to men in stalls.

Some Things You Want To Forget
After the game, people were three times more likely to remember the bathroom message that Gore was against raising the retirement age to 70 than that Jose Vizcaino hit the winning RBI single in Game 1.

Was It Really Worth The Money For That 30-Second Spot?
Only 23% of people surveyed were able to name a company who advertised during the games, however, 28% of people surveyed were more likely to remember the bathroom message that Bush plans to cut the maximum tax rate for the middle class to 25%.

Maybe They Should Debate In A Bathroom
People who went to the bathroom were a shocking nine times more likely to remember a political message than people who said they had watched all three debates but didn't go to the bathroom.

Don't Look To Your Left or Right Just Straight Ahead
Men who used urinals were 13% more likely to remember a political message than those who had sat in a stall.