Going to the Restroom Has Never Been So Much Fun

Let’s face it. Bathroom hygiene is not a sexy topic and rarely generates headlines.  So when the Cintas Corporation, a nationwide provider of bathroom cleaning services and supplies, approached Rubin Communications Group (RCG) in 2002 with this challenge, we got our creative juices flowing.

Six years later, our client is flush with media coverage as a result of the America’s Best Restroom Contest. This RCG-created campaign strikes just the right balance between having fun and delivering an important message.  Surveys show that the vast majority of people will not return to an establishment with dirty bathrooms. With the America’s Best Restroom Contest, Cintas accepts nominations from around the nation for establishments that feature exceptionally clean and memorable facilities. Each year, the contest receives coverage from thousands of newspapers, Web sites, television and radio stations, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, FOX, NBC and CNN.

Past winners have won based on luxurious appointments such as mosaic tile, marble countertops and original artwork on their restroom walls, but also on originality. 2007 Winner, Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio, features what appears to be port-a potties, which are actually fake entrances leading to a jungle-themed, impeccably clean restroom.

RCG kicked off the 2008 contest in early February, with nominations being received through April 7. Finalists will be named in May, with the Internet public being invited to vote for its favorite through July 31. To learn more, log on to www.bestrestroom.com to nominate a bathroom, cast a vote or visit the ABR Hall of Fame to view past winners and finalists.