Aerial advertising

Aerial advertising is a medium which exploits elements of drama and surprise, involving curiosity. The forms of aerial advertising available in different countries depend on the laws which apply, especially to low flying over urban areas, on the ingenuity of promoters and sometimes on what is peculiar to or possible in certain countries. For instance, if there is a coast-line it is possible to carry aerial advertisements low over the sea in view of holidaymakers on the beach. The following are examples of aerial advertising:

•  Skywriting . Emitting a trail of smoke, an aircraft writes a word or words in the sky. This does, of course, require a clear sky and is limited by the weather. Skywriting is one of teh most common aerial advertising methods.

•  Sky shouting . This technique of shouting messages from the sky has been converted into an advertising medium in Zimbabwe. Sky shouting is less common in modern aerial advertising.

•  Sky banners . One of the oldest forms of aerial advertising is the use of slow aircraft to trail an advertising banner. A spectacular form seen in Holland is to have three aircraft tied together, each trailing a sky banner.

•  Lighted aircraft, airships, balloons . At night aircraft can carry illuminated messages on the undersides of wings, while the Goodyear airships are a familiar sight in the USA and in Europe .

Smaller airships have become popular in recent years and have been used for semi-advertising semi-public relations purposes. These airships are colourful eye catchers and are seen by thousands of people on the ground, but locations and routes should be chosen with discretion.

Hot air balloons are not only painted in the colours of sponsors, but are often produced in the remarkable shapes of the products they advertise; these balloons may feature at outdoor events.

•  Projected advertisements . A few attempts have been made to project advertisements on the night sky with laser beams or with a searchlight effect on low cloud. The effects can be weird and startling, but make a strong and lasting impact and they are one of the most innovative forms of aerial advertising.