Reinforcing Your Message with a Blimp

Recently, upwards of 20,000 people gathered in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama along with radio and television personality Glenn Beck as part of a movement known as “Restoring Unity,” “Never Again is Now,” and “All Lives Matter.” The crowd marched for peace, unity, understanding and love.

High above the mass, one block north of the infamous Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, an AirSign blimp soared above embellished with the message, “All Lives Matter.”

Those who marched in Birmingham on August 30th wanted to send a message to the rest of the country: Their presence and words mattered, and the airship above reiterated their purpose.

#AllLivesMatter

The blimp gained social media traction with the hashtag #UnityBlimp and even helped gain the attention of The New Yorker, who published an article on the march the following week.

Through publicity provided by Glenn Beck and his charitable organization Mercury One, participants as well as interested social media followers were able to experience the march firsthand. Not only did the message “All Lives Matter” resonate with the audience, but it was also projected over the entire city – reinforcing the reason behind the event for all to see (whether they were Birmingham or following via Twitter in Chicago).

Interested in learning how your message reach your target audience geographically and create buzz online? Check out our airships.

Expand your marketing mix into the sky

From time to time marketing and advertising executives change up their marketing mix. Whether it’s due to a new budget, a tired message, or a response to marketing data, it’s always a good idea to reconsider the ways in which a brand promotes its products and services. That’s why the timing has never been better to expand your marketing mix into the sky.

By showcasing your brand in the sky, your audience expands to entire communities, major event attendees, and even social media. Instinctively we look up when we hear the engine of a low flying plane, helicopter, and yes, even a blimp! And in today’s fast moving, ultra sharing world, these methods of advertisement are more likely to be photographed and shared on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook than the more traditional and expected forms of advertising like billboards and newspaper ads.

“But aren’t airplane banners a beach thing? Or a way to propose?”

Airplane banners can be used numerous ways and in various geographies. Whether it’s at the beach or the mountains, during the Super Bowl or weekday rush hour traffic, airplane banners get noticed. In fact, a recent survey showed…

  • 88% of respondents remembered seeing airplane banners 30 minutes after they had passed,
  • 79% remembered the product or service that was advertised, and
  • 67% remembered at least half of the banner content.

Can you say the same about your quarter-page newspaper ad?

“Plane, helicopter, blimp… what does it matter?”

First of all, Heli-Banners are not for the faint of heart. These banners are so big an airplane cannot successfully pull them through the sky. We’re talking about a HUGE space for your brand to be featured, ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 square feet!

If that’s not big enough, try an air ship that’s actually environmentally friendly like the Eco Blimp. Eco Blimps do not utilize helium like most other blimps you may be familiar with, making them more environmentally and budget friendly.

So while you’re considering making changes to your marketing and advertising spend in 2016, remember to expand your marketing mix into the sky with other brands such as Ford, Google, and Virgin Atlantic. Contact Airsign for a free quote.

The Advertising Blimp: Effective and Economical

If it’s a major sporting event like the Super Bowl or the Olympics, a blimp is there. Consumers of all ages are just as enamored by the size and presence of an airship today as they were when the early Zeppelins first took flight. That’s why an advertising blimp is a guaranteed way to attract attention and leave a memorable impression.

AirSign recently launched a new Thermal Airship division, making blimp advertising accessible for organizations that previously were unable to commit to the long-term campaigns and high costs associated with traditional advertising blimps.

How It Works

AirSign’s Eco Blimps utilize a thermal heat system and maintain altitude similar to that of a hot air balloon. They launch near targeted events and communities, and can be deflated and transported by ground to other destinations in a campaign or tour.

Inflated without helium, our airships have been endorsed by Greenpeace for being environmentally friendly.

Advertising Flexibility

Whether a campaign lasts one week or one year, AirSign has advertising blimp options. From single flights to multi-market national campaigns, AirSign offers solutions for organizations to share their brand and message on the biggest, most interesting piece of real estate at events and over communities of all sizes. Reach a target audience and spark a conversation regardless of the location and season.

Eco Blimps are inflated and launched close to each client’s target. What’s more, they are versatile in most climates, making them excellent advertising mediums for the beaches of Florida or the ski slopes of Montana.

Why Advertising Blimps Work

Unlike direct mail and other forms of marketing collateral, advertising blimps can be reused multiple times. Once a postcard or letter goes out to a target audience, it’s gone. To send it out again requires reprinting the material — which comes at a cost, not to mention postage fees.

Eco Blimps can be more affordable than television ads and provide better brand awareness to large audiences than radio, billboard, and print advertising. Plus, people tend to remember the last blimp they saw hovering over their heads more than a radio or website banner ad. While ads on TV, radio, billboards, websites, and print publications have become commonplace and are likely to be ignored; advertising blimps have remained rare and, as a result, more memorable to consumers all over the globe.

Learn more about Eco Blimps.

AirSign Flies Grumpy Cat Banner Over SXSW

An unlikely friendship formed at SXSW 2014 during the #PiInTheSky art exhibit. Always big fans of Tardar Sauce–or as most people know her, Grumpy Cat–we decided to tweet out to her. We knew she was at SXSW and wanted to show our respect. We created a shot of one of our planes preparing for takeoff with everyone’s favorite grumpy-mugged feline sitting in the cockpit. This is when we learned of her dream to have her face blown up and flown above the Austin skyline for all to see. The rest, as they say, is history…

Grumpy-Cat

Grumpy Cat looking unimpressed. Naturally.

We had a blast working with Grumpy Cat and her manager/mom. Here some of the better images from the flight which garnered significant social buzz and helped pack lines of people looking to meet Tardar Sauce.

ReadWrite.com pointed out:

The biggest line on North Congress Avenue—one of the main arteries of Austin’s SXSW festival—wasn’t for a band or rockstar techie. No, it was for Grumpy Cat, the Internet’s most famous feline.

Of course, the entire AirSign team was excited and honored to work with Grumpy Cat and especially to help make #CatDreamsComeTrue!

Did you get to meet Grumpy Cat at SXSW or see her aerial banner? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Got a dream of your own? Let us know so we can help it come true.

PEMCO Commissions #12sFly Banner for Super Bowl 49

Last year, PEMCO Insurance commissioned a 12th Fan banner that flew in support of the Seattle Seahawks bid for a Super Bowl win. The banner garnered citywide support and flew with more than 15,000 signatures from fans throughout Seattle. The Seahawks went on to beat the Denver Broncos 43-8 in a game the 12s will never forget.

This year PEMCO is at it again with a bigger, badder and better banner. They collected around 48,000 signatures as well as 24,000 photos from fans all over the world. Those photos make up the digits of “12”, truly capturing the spirit of the Seahawks 12th fans. You can read more about this incredible display of support here.

Needless to say, we’re honored to be part of such an incredible campaign. Seahawks Nation and PEMCO love their team and it certainly shows.

Keep your eyes to the skies, Seahawks fans. We fly today over Seattle and then over the weekend in Phoenix. We hope to see you back in Seattle on Monday, 12s!

Go Hawks.