Deep Space

Nighttime Aerial Advertising

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.

Not long ago aerial messages were mostly novelty announcements like wishing someone a happy anniversary or flying a proposal for marriage. But today most of the messages are advertisements for special events coming up, for products or services, or for a political candidate.

Though most of the time these ads are pulled behind single engine planes, some have hired helicopters, and others have used remote controlled blimps or balloons. The novelty of a message in the sky defies being ignored, whether watchers are interested in the product or service or not. It has proven to be a low cost way to get a message to a large audience quickly.

A more recent form of aerial advertising is night ads. These are lighted messages that can best be read once the sun goes down. One wonders if some of them might be reported as UFO’s though a quick read of the message shows it is genuine and often helpful information.

The computerized moving characters appear on the underside of the plane, from wing to wing and often wider than the wings. One company states the advertising message is displayed on an 8 foot by 36 foot grid, containing 252 lights. We have all seen the signs on banks or restaurants with moving display, made by lights forming the words or numbers. Imagine this display being much larger and, instead of hoping people drive by and read it, it is brought to the people in the sky.

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.

If someone is interested in an aerial night message, the first step is to plan a message. The message should be less than 45 characters (so it can all be read in time) yet contain all the information you want to get across. When this is accomplished, check online to see where an aerial banner company is available. It is a creative way to capture the attention of night sky gazers and get your message into their lives.

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