Share Your Message Memorably to Your Audience
What if you could announce your product, service, or website to thousands of people at the same time, and most of them actually remember it! That is the dream come true for those who are willing to invest in aerial advertising services. How do you do that? A company or individual simply 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 more than half of those present will remember the message of the banner.
This means of advertising has been used at parades, backyard parties, fairs, water shows, fireworks, races, golf courses, concerts, public beaches, ball games, morning and evening rush hour traffic, and shopping centers. It has been used by large companies such as McDonalds and Subway, by phone companies, by car manufacturers, by just about any type of company that would advertise in more traditional ways. Aerial advertising has also been used as a novel way to wish someone a happy birthday, or even as an expensive way to propose marriage!
There are basically three different types of messages offered by aerial advertising companies. First, an aerial banner is a long streamers with a message such as, “Visit Loretta’s For Our Special Sale,” or “Happy Birthday, Bob!” These can reach 100 feet or more in length. A second and more 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. Some contain websites and if the domain is easy to remember, people can learn more about the product after they get home. Third, some combine these two with a billboard followed by a trailer (short banner) that gives more information. For instance, a business may put its name and logo on the billboard followed by their address on the trailer.
Some might wonder about the danger of a low flying single engine plane over a populated area. The present Federal Aviation Regulations require operators of aerial advertising to avoid flying directly over stadiums, beaches and such like. A minimum separation of 1000 feet over land and 500 feet over water 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. In spite of these limits, in all cases the ads are still quite visible.
When companies consider the number of people reached, the reusable nature of the banner, and how memorable this way of spreading their message is, an increasing number are concluding that airplane banner towing is the way to go.
