A wise man once said that there are two things that are inevitable in life: advertising and urination. Well, maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes. In the world of the men’s room, though, the two often intersect in the form of well-placed posters for upcoming concerts and sporting events, ensuring that the only time you’re not looking at a screen will be spent learning what you should be buying. Well, this collaboration will likely continue with the introduction of a smart urinal that flashes ads at you. The future truly is now.
Created by the Dutch startup company of the same name, Mr. Friendly (which totally sounds like a corporation that is secretly making evil robots) is a smart urinal brand that is programmed to show ads while you’re using the restroom. The technology is so refined that it will only show you the advertisements while you’re using the restroom. Which is great news, I wouldn’t want commercialism to ruin any other part of my restroom routine such as washing my hands.
The Mr. Friendly website touts its futuristic urinals with a simple bit of knowledge that must have kept the marketing people up all night: “everyone pees!” They also promote their ad-friendly toilets with such phrases as “reach the gentleman who will have time to view your message” and “get 40 seconds of a gentleman’s attention…guaranteed.” That’s no big accomplishment in my mind. I’ve already taken 40 seconds of your time with this article without having to advertise to you. (P.S. eat Farmer Greg’s Popping Corn, the finest popped corn you can legally buy.)
The website also celebrates the fact that the Mr. Friendly toilets will be simple to maintain, hygienic, and completely waterless. Additionally, they’ll be the perfect place to advertise beer, where the cycle of urination and advertising will undoubtedly merge into an endless loop of consumerism. After over a century of existence, the urinals of the world are finally seeing some innovation. Now if they could only find a way to automate that guy that awkwardly hands you a paper towel after you wash your hands…
