Aerial Advertising at Night
Some have called space the last frontier. Others refer to the oceans with this phrase. In terms of advertising, the sky is an immense surface on which to write a message for all to see. It is like the last frontier in advertising. Aerial advertising taps this resource in the form of banners or billboards pulled behind planes over large crowds. The message gets to a large number of people in a very short time.
A few years ago, aerial messages were mainly novelty announcements like birthday wishes and marriage proposals. Today they are largely advertisements like political ads, promotion of products or services, or announcements of special events coming up.
Besides airplanes pulling the ads, some are pulled by helicopters, while others are written on balloons or blimps to float over the audience. The very presence of such a message demands it be read whether the person below is interested in the information or not. It has proven to be an effective way to get a message across at a relatively low cost.
A novel twist to aerial advertising is night ads. These are lighted messages appearing on the under side of the plane. Almost like a UFO, the message suddenly appears in the dark sky and again, demands to be read.
The display is made in the same way the message on the bank marquee is made, with lights forming the words or numbers. The computerized moving characters appear on the underside of the plane, from wing to wing. One company states the advertising message is displayed on a 36 foot long grid containing 252 lights. Each letter is eight feet tall.
The moving letters are about eight feet high and are made of high intensity individual lights. Like the bank sign, the message can blink on and off, can be made bold, can travel right or left, can scroll up or down, and can sweep right or left. By using a creative variety, the attention of the audience is kept as they wonder what else it will say.
Though not yet in color, the night aerial ads have several advantages over daytime banner ads. First, the preparation of the message is simple. Just type the words or numbers into the computer. The message can be repeated or reworded for variety. Second, there is no need for dangerous low level flying to get the message into the air as with banners. Third, the message can be longer with more information since it is only displayed a little at a time. A disadvantage is that fewer people generally are outside at night to read the message.
Someone interested in this form of advertising should first work on wording their message. It is recommended that it not exceed 45 characters for this is the amount that can be scrolled across the plane during the 17 seconds of a pass. Of course, be sure all the information you want to convey is in those letters. Next, check the internet to see if a company that provides airplane banners is available to the audience you want to target. The effort and expensive will most likely pay off for writing in the sky, whether in daylight or dark, demands to be read.
Filed under Advertising by Bill Watters.