Roto Rooter’s High-End Toilet Brings in 290,000 Sweeps Entries

With only a few days left, Roto-Rooter has brought in 290,000 entries in a sweepstakes that gives away a toilet.

But it’s not just any toilet. This tricked out high-end Kohler Cimarron commode has a flat-screen TV, gaming system, DVD player and other electronic gadgets attached to it. An iPod docking station is equipped with a toilet paper dispenser and the seat is covered in lime green fuzz. The grand-prize, termed the “Pimped out John,” is valued at $5,000.

“We really were hoping for about 100,000 overall, so we’ve definitely exceeded our wildest expectations on the program,” said spokesperson Paul Abrams.

The goal of the campaign was to bring in a younger demographic to boosts it core customer base of aging Boomers and beyond.

The sweeps ends today, with the winner announced on National Plumber’s Day, April 25.

Roto-Rooter used a $140,000 budget for the campaign that included notifying its 200,000 e-mail subscribers about the sweeps and placing videos on YouTube.com.

A major PR effort helped boost awareness. The Pimped out John was mentioned on major broadcast shows including The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the BBC, as well as in hundreds of newspapers.