Guide to Designing an Effective Aerial Banner Ad
You have probably been to a sporting event or beach and seen a plane fly overhead pulling a banner. This is an aerial banner ad and is designed to convey the message randomly to thousands of people. Such banner ads are very popular and are used to remind people of established businesses, to tell of new stores or restaurants, to promote political candidates, even to convey proposals for marriage or birthday wishes.
Banner towing has been proven effective as a relatively low cost high impact means of advertising. The message is virtually uncontested as it grabs the attention of a large audience and repeats the message many times as the plane flies over the crowd. The cost per contact is unparalleled in the retail world of advertising.
These factors are all equal: the ad has a captured audience, no competition, the plane drawing attention to the message, and repetition. These are built into the method of advertising. All the messages are also brief. The fly-by time is only 17 seconds. Yet some aerial ads are clearly more effective than others to persuade an audience to consider what it says. What factors make a good banner ad?
A good banner ad must have several factors. The brief message must reach the goal the advertiser has in mind. The message must be readable, it must be catchy, it must be attractive, and it must be easy to remember. Most banner ads are written in seven foot letters so readability is not a problem. The printers will have suggestions on making it attractive. Your job then is to plan a message that both conveys what you want, 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.
When you have listed everything that must be included on the banner, then began wording and rewording it until you are satisfied with it. It would be nice to include, say, addresses, phone numbers, webpage addresses for a restaurant. However, that is too much for a message that is passing by. Perhaps it would be best to just include the name and the corner the restaurant is on, and, if easy to remember, a phone number.
Once you have whittled the message down to as few words as possible, ask yourself, “If I read this on a beach or sporting event, would I remember what it said?” That is important because few people are going to write it down at the time they see it. After all, they are not there to get information about your services. You are borrowing from another event’s attention. Test your idea on others to see if they think it will be remembered. A few well chosen words can go a long way.
Once you have followed these steps, 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 soon follow.
