I became a registered organ donor thanks to an ad on the back of a toilet door

I'd seen this ad many times over the previous few months - a pub here, a bar there, even once in an airport. I knew I wanted to be a registered organ donor, but my assumption was that it would be a long, complicated form, asking me an array of private questions. One minute to become a registered organ donor? I don't think so.

Cut to January 2023, and I have the conversation with myself – “Alright Jess, you've seen this ad at least five times. It says it only takes 60 seconds - just scan the damn QR code and find out for yourself”.

It felt like I blinked and it was done. It was one page. My name, email and postcode auto-filled. All I needed to type was my birthdate and my Medicare card number, which I had on me anyway.

Done. How easy was that?

I've worked in Marketing for the last 9 years, and like many Marketers, I look back on my journey before purchasing an item or service, so I can understand how I made my way down the marketing funnel to conversion, in the hope of gaining insight for my own 9 to 5. In this case, my conversion was unlike any other - I've opted to hand out my organs in the hope of saving other people's lives when the time comes.

Another conversation with myself took place – ‘Damn - those bathroom ads - they're a lot more effective than I gave them credit for”.

Organ donation is a sensitive subject. Not one you hear being discussed at a dinner party. But like many other taboo topics – it's incredibly important to raise awareness, as it can benefit so many people. It's the definition of life and death.

One week ago, I started working at Convenience Advertising – we run most of the bathroom ads you've ever seen. I'd gone from being a success story for bathroom advertising, to working for that exact bathroom advertising company. How meta.

Working here, I came to understand my journey to becoming a registered organ donor in even more detail. Convenience Advertising has 3,200+ venues across airports, shopping centres, pubs, clubs, universities and TAFEs, 800+ of which had DonateLife posters in them. No wonder I finally converted.

I learned about our stats: an average of two minutes spent in a bathroom every time you go, which is 77% of people in airports and 35% of people in shopping centres. And an average of 12 minutes spent in parent rooms. Each of these minutes spent in the private space of a bathroom, where I've learned how well sensitive messages can be delivered in a safe space.

Whether it be Government messages revolving around health or illness prevention, commercial brands promoting their products and services, or local businesses targeting their local pub or shopping centre – these ads were positioned like no other. “Here I am, on my own in a bathroom. I have time to read a blurb, and no one else is around to see how I interact with the ad”. What a great time and place to get a more complicated message across to a specific gender and geographic.

1,800 people are currently on the waitlist for an organ or tissue donation, and in 2022, there were only 454 deceased organ donors. If you know you want to be a registered organ donor, get your Medicare card out, and I promise you, you can become a registered organ donor within 40 seconds by following this link.

Thanks for taking the time to listen.

If you have any bathroom advertising queries, I work here now! Get in touch using this contact form.