A public relations disaster in a public restroom: a soap dispenser with no soap, a dirty countertop or worst of all, an empty toilet paper roll.

We shudder at the thought.

But not all public bathrooms are doing it wrong! There are plenty of people who take their facilities above and beyond in cleanliness and design to offer patrons a positive experience. That’s why RCG created the Best Restroom Contest for our client, Cintas, and its hygiene division.

The goal of the online contest is to position Cintas as the expert in bathroom hygiene and recognize establishments that show a correlation between cleanliness and good business.

Earlier this month, RCG Account Manager Rachael Keshishian worked with the Cintas Canada team to launch the 5th Annual Canada’s Best Restroom Contest and open online voting to the public. Through public relations and strategic communication with news outlets across the country, RCG generates coverage about the contest in print, online and broadcast outlets. It’s also great exposure for our finalists and an opportunity for positive publicity. After two months of online voting, we tally the scores and crown one finalist the “king of the throne.”

The five finalists:

• Patria in Toronto
• Calgary Zoo in Calgary
• Planet Hollywood in Niagara Falls, Ontario
• Shaw Club Hotel & Spa in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
• Vancouver Airport in Vancouver

If you haven’t cast your vote, visit the contest site and pick your favorite!

We’ve already seen some great coverage in this year’s contest:

CBC Radio (the “NPR” of Canada)

CTV News Canada AM (the “TODAY” show of Canada)

Public relations takeaways from Canada’s Best Restroom Contest:

• When you have big news to share, make sure you tell TV stations, newspapers, community blogs and radio stations. You never know which media outlet will find the story interesting.
• If you land coverage from a certain reporter, save that person’s name in case you need to come back for follow ups or the same story the following year. Solid working relationships with the media make the pursuit of coverage much easier.
• Send out press releases in the mid morning (like 10 am) and try to avoid making any announcements on a Monday or Friday. Middle of the week is a better time to catch the media’s attention.
• If the press asks for an interview and you’re the spokesperson (like Rachael for Canada’s Best Restroom), practice your talking points before you go “on the air.” Make sure to say exactly what you want because when it’s live, you have one shot.
• Always look for memorable ways to have others spread the word for you. Creative memes, colorful photos, fun list posts…think about what people already like to share on social media and then craft similar content that’s, of course, on message with your brand.