How can toilet paper be turned into the most innovative advertising format of the present day? This unusual question was the focus of a practical project that tissu4u carried out together with the Bachelor’s program Management & Entrepreneurship at FHWien der WKW in the summer semester of 2025.
Ten students dared to think outside the box – or rather: outside the toilet paper dispenser – and provided practical impulses, creative ideas and a differentiated market analysis for the young start-up.
Advertising where no one expects advertising – and everyone is looking
tissu4u is positioning itself with a bold concept: toilet paper as advertising space. Distributed free of charge to end customers and partner companies, every roll change becomes a marketing moment. Financed by advertising, the product hits the nerve of an overstimulated advertising market – and literally opens new doors. The challenge: How do you achieve acceptance among advertising customers, partner companies and end customers? After an intensive semester, the students provided answers – well-founded, differentiated and practical.
Three target groups, one goal: maximum attention
The project team analyzed the market environment, strengths and weaknesses of tissu4u, conducted interviews with potential partner companies and was able to obtain valid feedback from end customers on usage and behavior during their daily toilet routine via an online survey.
- Partner companies (primarily from the hotel, catering and residential home sectors) welcome the concept if the quality and design are right. Clear added value: cost savings and additional benefits for their own customers
- Advertising customers see potential in the QR code measurability and the unusual, eye-catching placement. The focus is on user-centered design. Top benefit arguments: unusual and humorous.
- End customers are surprisingly open: 70% regularly use their smartphone on the toilet, over 60% would scan QR codes on toilet paper. Advertisements for hygiene products, leisure activities, local services and wellness are particularly well received.
The critical success factors were also identified: high paper quality, appealing design, thematically appropriate advertising content and – quite clearly – a dose of humor and out-of-the-box thinking.
From analysis to action plan
The students not only provided strategic insights, but also concrete ideas for implementation. The focus: a differentiated approach to the three main target groups. Personas, benefit arguments and suitable channels were defined for each – from social media reels to optimized landing pages. In addition, creative links between analog advertising and digital interactions via QR code were created – including specific content ideas, performance KPIs and implementation proposals.
“I am very satisfied with the end result,” says client Nadine Zollpriester from tissue4u. “The whole project went very well, and the results and implementation proposals are very satisfactory. I was particularly surprised by the perspective of the younger generation, because it really broadened our horizons – with one or two ‘aha’ moments that brought a new wind into the project.”
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