Aerial Advertising with Balloons
We have all seen a plane pull a banner overhead as we attended a sporting event or were at a beach. These aerial ads are a very successful means of getting a message across to a local group of people very quickly. The banner will contain the name or logo of a company, a service offered, news of an upcoming event, or even a marriage proposal!
Billboard ads are also flown over crowds of people. These can be as large as a roadside billboard but are much lighter. These aerial billboards are pulled by planes or even helicopters for helicopters can pull a greater weight. If the plane can handle it and the budget allows, some even pull a banner behind a billboard ad. It usually contains additional information like an address or webpage.
Helium balloons attract attention when they are attached to a store or shop. People will drive over to see what is so important. When the ad leaves the ground, it is sometimes attached to a hot air balloon, or blimp. A few companies, like Goodyear, have made blimps the hallmark of their advertising and have become famous doing it. However, this is usually very expensive and probably cost prohibitive to most companies.
Another variation of this is remote controlled balloons that either advertise on the side, or carry an advertisement below them. These balloons are not lighter than air vehicles since they have to come down. Being unmanned means they can be much smaller for the balloons don’t have to lift the weight of a pilot.
The balloon has a small pusher prop in the back and the angle of this is adjusted by the remote control. When the propeller is raised, then the rear of the balloon goes down and the nose goes up, and vice versa. Left and right control works the same. In this way, the balloon can be controlled like a slow moving model plane. If the balloon has an advertisement on the side, it can be flown over a group of people as many times as is needed, then returned to the feet of the controller.
These balloons come in varying sizes, some starting at six feet and going to nearly twenty feet. They are not helium filled so preparing and launching them is simple. Of course, wind plays a factor with something so light and scheduled runs may need to be postponed.
Costs largely depend on the size of the balloon desired. One company sells six foot balloons with the ad displayed on the side for 1500 dollars. The thirteen feet costs about 4000 dollars and the seventeen feet balloon sells for about 7000 dollars. Of course, there is no expense to hire a pilot with a remote controlled balloon. Fly it as you like, and as often as you like as weather permits.
If you want to target your message effectively, it is time to get in touch with a banner towing company and get it printed and into the air. It won’t take long before your well planned message will be read by thousands and the result in sales will follow.