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.

Airplane banners are unquestionably effective. First, the message is virtually uncontested. Second, it grabs the attention of the audience and demands to be read. Third it is repeated as the plane flies over the same crowd multiple times in the course of an hour or so.

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?

Several factors make up a good banner ad. The advertiser has a goal in mind and the brief message must reach that goal. The message must be catchy, readable, attractive, and it must be easy to remember. The printer will take care of the readability, usually using seven foot letters. They will also have suggestions on making it attractive. Your job then is to plan a message that at once conveys what you want to say in few words and is easy to remember.

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 have written down everything the audience simply must know, then began wording it in a concise way so that the most important information is emphasized. It would be nice to include addresses, phone numbers, web page addresses for a restaurant, but the banner simply doesn’t allow space to say it all, nor will people remember that much. Perhaps just the name and the corner the restaurant is on would be best.

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.

Once you have followed these steps, it is time to get in touch with an airplane banner 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 soon follow.