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Aerial Advertising

What is an aerial banner ad?  It is simply a long banner containing a message that is then flown over a crowd to convey that message randomly to them. Banner ads are very popular way to tell of new stores or restaurants, to remind people of established businesses, or to promote political candidates. They are even used to convey birthday wishes or proposals for marriage.

Those effectively using airplane advertising are not wasting their money. It has proven to be a relatively low cost high impact means of advertising. The message immediately grabs the attention of a large audience by its uniqueness and the drone of the plane, and is repeated many times as the plane flies over the crowd. It is a great way to get a message to a local audience.

Yes, the ad has a captured audience, no competition for the product, the sound factor of the plane overhead, and the repetition of multiple passes. All this is built into the service. Banner ads are, of course, brief. After all, the audience has just 17 seconds to read them. Yet some ads are more effective than others, and more persuasive in causing others to consider a certain product or service. What makes one banner ad better than another?

A good banner ad follows several rules. First, the brief message must reach the planned goal. Second, the message must be readable, catchy, attractive, and easy to remember. The printers will make it readable and attractive. Your job then is to plan a message with the above factors in mind.

For decades this little poem has helped people plan an effective ad:  There are six honest serving men  Who taught me all I knew.  Their names are what and when and why  And how and where and who.  So your first task is to write down everything you really want the audience to learn from your ad. Be specific and concise. Some of the six question words above will not apply to your situation. For example, you may not need to tell them why they should visit your establishment, at least, not yet. But the questions what, when, and where are usually important. The ad may simply tell your name and a website where more information is available that will answer other questions.

Once you finish your list of must know information, then work on the wording until you are satisfied it is the best possible. Short messages are harder to write than long ones. It would be nice to tell the captivated audience all about yourself but the banner simply wouldn’t allow that, nor would the people remember it.  Perhaps best would be to tell them just enough to get them interested in learning more.

Now that your full message is concise, ask yourself, “Is it easy to remember?” Why is this important? People at a beach or sporting event are normally not going to be prepared to take notes. After all, you ad is a brief diversion from their main purpose in being there. It is good to test your idea on others to see if they think it will be remembered. Take your time to make it catchy. It will be worth the effort.

When you are confident your message will be effective, it is time to contact an airplane banner company and begin the process of getting it into the air. In no time, your well planned message will be presented to thousands of people and the impact for you will begin to be seen.