Johnny McBeauty’s, a new Ottawa bar, caught Carleton’s attention by hanging bras and upside down posters in undesignated spots around the Unicentre Jan. 21.
Director of student affairs Ryan Flannagan said off-campus companies cannot actively market on campus without the university’s express permission.
Flannagan said the university is looking to educate the bar on “appropriate” advertising practices on campus.
“They’ll be warned that if they poster improperly again, that Campus Safety will be called and anyone caught [postering] improperly will be fined. Same thing for the bras,” he said via email.
Co-founder of Johnny McBeauty’s Brett Starke said the idea behind the marketing campaign was simple.
“When was the last time someone advertised with a bra?” Starke said. “It’s just a big publicity stunt.”
Starke said he did not expect the bras and posters to stay up for more than a few hours.
He said he made sure they were up for high-traffic time periods.
Starke said the posters were more effective when they were flipped upside down because they stood out when placed near other posters.
Although Carleton has not contacted Johnny McBeauty’s, Starke said they expect to get a warning.
Starke said a warning from Carleton will not stop the bar from advertising on campus.
“We have a new marketing campaign coming out this week that I can’t tell you about, but it’s just as fun,” he said.
