My first visit to Canada some years ago brought to my attention a stark difference in highway travel from the US. Besides everything being measured in metric, I was struck by the absence of billboards. At first it was a pleasant change. But I found after a while that I missed the information they present as I travel.
Of course, most billboards are huge signs pasted to a support on some rented piece of property like a farmer’s field. The more people who travel that highway, the better. The billboard stands there, awaiting people traveling by to read the message. Now imagine this billboard flying into the air over some huge gathering of people. That is the essence of advertising with aerial billboards.
Aerial billboards have several differences from standard roadside billboards. First, while the roadside billboard is stationary and awaits the moving people, aerial billboards are moving while the people are stationary. Second, the roadside billboard may be read by some traveling by, but the aerial billboard will be read by virtually everyone over whom it is flown. The roadside billboard will probably take a long time to be read by 100,000 people, while the aerial billboard could be read by that many in a matter of minutes.
The aerial billboards are made of lightweight but strong nylon. With some the message is painted, with others it is dyed in the material with a sun inhibitor for protection. The billboard is not really a banner though some pull an additional banner message behind them. Aerial billboards could be as large as 100 feet long and 50 feet tall! It could display a logo, the name of a product, a photo, or anything else you see on a roadside billboard.
The billboard is weighted on the bottom so that it stays upright, and has a lead pole attached to the front. A bridle is attached to that and the bridle to a 250 feet long rope attached to the plane. To get the billboard into the air, the pilot must take off without it, then circle around and catch a loop of rope fastened to the tow rope. He catches it with a large hook attached to the rear of the plane. He immediately banks upward so the billboard is hoisted up and not dragged along the ground.
Though the billboard is made of lightweight material, it is still quite a drag on a small plane. In fact, strong winds could cancel a flight or at least prohibit them from adding the extra banner message at the end. When the pilot has finished, he gently drops the billboard at the airfield where it can be stored and perhaps used again.
What is the difference between aerial banners and aerial billboards? The only real difference is the size and shape of the message trailing behind the plane. Clients might include restaurants, products, special events, congratulatory messages, wedding proposals, directions, information like a web page to get further details, special sales events, businesses, movie ads, and so on. Billboards display just about any brief message someone wants to get to the public in a hurry.
The good news is that the cost of a billboard or banner ad is a lot less than some TV or printed ads. Generally, companies charge from 00 up to design and prepare the billboard itself. The charge to pull the billboard is usually 0 to 0 an hour. If it is done right, companies using this method of aerial advertising can be confident that the billboard will bring in revenue equal to several times this cost. It is an investment.
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Posted under CRM, Marketing Promotions, business networking, customer relationship management, inquiries, leads, marketing, marketing consulting, marketing promotion, one-to-one marketing, sales consulting, social networking
This post was written by Rolf Joho on February 6, 2010
