Imagine this: the sun goes down and your business logo and ad is projected on the surface of a full moon for all the dark half of the world to see! Though no one can promise that, the next best option is to have your ad floating over the heads of a huge gathering, in full view of each person present. That is the promise of aerial advertising, a unique method of getting information about a product before a select group of people. A company hires a firm to design and print the huge ad. Then a plane is hired to pull the ad over a populated outdoor event. Statistics show over half of those present will remember what the banner said.

This means of advertising has been used at parades, backyard parties, fairs, water shows, fireworks, races, golf courses, concerts, public beaches, ball games, morning and evening rush hour traffic, and shopping centers. It has been used by large companies such as McDonalds and Subway, by phone companies, by car manufacturers, by just about any type of company that would advertise in more traditional ways. Aerial advertising has also been used as a novel way to wish someone a happy birthday, or even as an expensive way to propose marriage!

The aerial advertising companies offer basically three different types of messages. First, banners are long streamers with a message such as, "Special sale at Loretta's this week," or "Happy Birthday, Tom. We love you!" These can reach 100 feet or more in length. A second and most popular message is the flying billboard. This could be as large as 4000 square feet and often has the same content as a roadside billboard would have. The message is brief, informative, and catchy. Many contain websites and if the domain is easy to remember, people can learn more about the product when they get home. Third, some combine these two with a billboard followed by a trailer (short banner) that gives more information. For example, a restaurant may put its name and logo on the billboard with an address on the trailer.

Safety issues might come to mind with this means of advertising. After all, isn't it dangerous to fly a single engine plane over a crowd of people? Rest assured that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has set safe limits on how close to the crowd the plane may fly, both at beach areas and near stadiums. The effect of these parameters in no way prohibits the visibility of the ad.

When companies consider the number of people reached, the reusable nature of the banner, and how memorable this way of spreading their message is, an increasing number are concluding that aerial banner advertising is the way to go.