The Most Memorable Way to Advertise to Crowds
Written by Post on October 14th, 2009 in Business.
Imagine this: the sun goes down and your business logo and ad is projected on the surface of a full moon for all the dark half of the world to see! Though no one can promise that, the next best option is to have your ad floating over the heads of a huge gathering, in full view of each person present. That is the promise of aerial advertising, a unique method of getting information about a product before a select group of people. A company hires a firm to design and print the huge ad. Then a plane is hired to pull the ad over a populated outdoor event. Statistics show over half of those present will remember what the banner said.
Aerial advertising has proven effective just about anywhere an outside gathering of people may be found including during fairs, firework shows, concerts, ball games, rush hour traffic, parades, water shows, and races. Both national and local companies have used it to get more people to remember their company’s name. It has also been used to present birthday wishes and even as a way to propose!
Basically there are three different types of messages which aerial advertising companies offer. The first and most popular message is the flying billboard. This could be as large as 4000 square feet and often has the same content as a roadside billboard would have. The message is brief, informative, and catchy. Many contain websites and if the domain is easy to remember, people can learn more about the product when they get home. Secondly, aerial banners are long streamers with a message such as, “Special sale at Loretta’s this week,” or “Happy Birthday, Tom. We love you!” These can reach 100 feet or more in length. Third, some services allow these two to be combined using a billboard followed by a trailer (short banner) that gives more information. A restaurant may put its name and logo on the billboard with an address on the trailer, for example.
Low flying single engine planes over a populated area might cause some to wonder about the danger. The present Federal Aviation Regulations require operators of aerial advertising to avoid flying directly over stadiums, beaches and such like. A minimum separation of distance is required. This puts the aircraft parallel to the waterline on the offshore side of the beach or directly outside the perimeter of arenas, stadiums, and racetracks over land. Even with these limits, the ads are still quite visible.
Many companies wanting to get their message to the public quickly and for a minimum of cost have opted to try banner towing. Most of them are quite pleased with the result. After all, for those thirty or so seconds while the plane passes, their product is the only one the audience has to think about.
