Two Rye Brook, N.Y., brothers are giving new meaning to reading on the go.
Jordan and Bryan Silverman are offering businesses the chance to advertise on a slightly unusual platform — toilet paper.
"It's an unmatched active audience," Jordan, co-founder of Star Toilet Paper, told the Daily News. "A person looks at the average advertisement for two to five seconds. People will look at ours for a lot longer."
The environmentally friendly paper, printed with coupons and ads in soy-bean-based ink, sells for half a cent per ad. Users can redeem the coupons through Star Toilet Paper's website.
Venues that want to put in the ad-filled paper in their stalls get the rolls for free.
Jordan, a recent graduate of University of Michigan, came up with the innovative marketing plan about two years ago when he found himself taking a minute to look at the wall of a bathroom stall at the Ann Arbor, Mich., campus.
"I was thinking that it's one of the times that people want to read," Jordan, who quickly turned to his brother with the plan, said. "We've really felt that we were on to something."
They secured a patent for their product in 2010 and are working with 50 advertisers, ranging from larger companies like Ben & Jerry's to smaller businesses like a local doctors' office.
Several venues have agreed to carry the paper. And they are looking to expand to bars, movie theaters and other places that have "high turnover."
Their efforts haven't gone unrecognized.
Bryan, a sophomore at Duke University, is one of five finalists in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2012 College Entrepreneur competition. Bryan is currently working for the company part-time as a campus representative.
The brothers would like to expand beyond toilet paper while refusing to come out of the bathroom.
"We personally think our product is for everyone," Jordan said.
By Christine Roberts / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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