Aerial Advertising Services

Company Overview

Since 1979, Aerial Advertising Services has provided reliable and cost-effective aerial

advertising services to businesses as well as to individuals. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company assists in the production, placement and fulfillment of

aerial advertising and message displays. From Fortune 100 companies to small

neighborhood businesses, their customer list of more than a thousand entries reads like a

Who’s Who of national, regional and local businesses. With a nationwide fleet of 120

planes and an extensive network of experienced pilots, they fly in all metropolitan

markets. Aerial Advertising Services is committed to maintaining the highest standard of

professionalism: all pilots are commercial rated, have current medical certificates and

have been issued security clearances by the Transportation Security Administration. The

company holds an FAA issued waiver for banner towing operations and handles all

logistics and permits required for successful execution of aerial advertising and message

displays.

Contact Information

Office:510.889.1453

Hangar:925.449.0210

Fax:510.537.1060

Email:

Aerial Ads – The SKY Is The Limit!

The strength of aerial advertising is that it is hard to ignore! The sky is truly the limithere. Aerial ad messages are seen in a clutter-free environment and they average more than 17 seconds of readtime per viewer.* They appeal to our sense of adventure, are seldom perceived as intrusive or aggravating and are often fun to read! In contrast to the constant barrage of messages from traditional media, which often result in tune-out, aerial messages retain the ability to stimulate curiosity and command attention. Aerial banners can convey a variety of message types: from announcing an exciting event, to promoting a particular service, activity or product.

Attached are results of a study demonstrating that consumers are highly receptive to aerial advertising as a medium and how this positive response impacts retention levels.

*As reported by internal Aerial Advertising Services testing

State of Maine Lottery

Share of Voice and Recall Study Results*

When the State of Maine launched one of its latest lottery games, advertising and promotion dollars were spread among several media types. Only 6% of the $100,000 budget was allocated to aerial advertising (other budget allocations are not available). 70% of those sampled via questionnaire were made aware of the lottery through commercial advertising. The following is the breakdown of how they learned about the promotion:

Recall by Medium

  • Billboards21.6%
  • Radio19.8%
  • Aerial Banner18.3%
  • Television15.9%
  • Posters14.9%
  • Other 9.5%

Total100%

Aerial advertising recall percentages far exceeded SOV (share of voice [5% spending: 18% recall]). Aerial advertising definitely scored competitively with other types of more costly media. Viewer retention data were also impressive:

Message Recall

  • 88% remembered the banner passing
  • 79% remembered what was advertised
  • 67% remembered at least one-half of the message

* Study fielded by North East Marketing of Yarmouth for the State of Maine Department of Commerce, 2003.

Aerial Ads – The HIGH Impact Medium

With the open sky as a backdrop, aerial advertising has the advantage of being able to command attention in an uncluttered advertising environment. Aerial messages can be presented on billboards or letter banners. Billboards are large canvases onto which logos and text messages are printed. They are reusable and will allow an advertiser to have a message readily available for use for months or even years. They usually last hundreds of hours of flight time.Aerial Advertising Services stores the billboards at their flight facility, where they are ready for deployment.

Banners feature large removable characters, which can be quickly altered or assembled for flight. As a dynamic presence punctuating the aerial landscape, aerial media claims unique and prime positioning within the advertising sector. Other benefits of aerial advertising include:

  • Cost-effective: With CPM’s often below $5, aerial advertising is an efficient and remarkably more cost-effective alternative to other forms of mass media.
  • Target-able: Messages can be targeted by geography, economics, demographics or psychographics.
  • Impactful: Up to hundreds of thousands of people may simultaneously see the ad message.
  • Customized: Advertising in the skies has a special advantage with regard to the variety of places where messages can be seen. Flight routes are designed to achieve maximum impact at target locations.
  • Affordable: Billboard production is a one-time expenditure. With proper maintenance they will last for hundreds of hours of flight time.
  • Flexible: Banners are assembled and ready for flight within one week of the order and, if needed, can often be assembled and ready sooner. They can also be quickly altered to meet current needs. Billboard production takes a little longer, but it is a one-time process. (Details are provided on the “Billboard Production Specifications and Related Costs” page.)

Aerial Ads – The HIGH Visibility Medium

As a highly visible medium, aerial advertising is a particularly spectacular way of reaching people assembled in mass audiences. For example, it is an excellent choice for targeting heavily traveled commuter arterials.* Exciting and remarkable, aerial banners and billboards can relieve the monotony and tedium experienced by commuters who are trapped in traffic congestion.

Various events and venues are also popular and appropriate for aerial advertising efforts:

  • Sporting Events: Flight over sports venues is permitted until one hour prior to game commencement, making this a good choice for targeting tailgate parties and/or all those arriving prior to starting time. (Aerial Advertising Services has developed a special way to present messages during games, giving our clients’ messages prime and unique positioning at these densely populated venues!)
  • Raceways: In the San Francisco Bay Area, this includes racing venues such as Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca Raceway and the AltamontMotorsportsPark.
  • Seasonal Festivals: Ethnic and regional food, cultural, art and music festivals and street fairs take place year-round and are frequented by a large number of people in the community.
  • Fairgrounds: In the San Francisco Bay Area, this includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Benito, Sonoma, Marin, and Santa Cruz Fairs, as well as other events held throughout the year at these popular fairgrounds.
  • Retail Events: A highly visible way of announcing grand openings, blockbuster sales and special promotions, aerial messages can be flown over individual retail locations, over large shopping malls or in the skies over an entire area. This helps to increase attendance, excitement and publicity and creates a sense of energetic activity surrounding the event.
  • Community Functions: This includes charity events, marathons, parades, outdoor concerts and any other seasonal community gatherings.

* In the San Francisco Bay Area, typical exposure rates on the I-580 corridor from the AltamontPass to the I-680 interchange are 120,000 to 150,000 views per hour (figures based on data collected by Caltrans).

Aerial Ads – BOOSTING Brand Recognition

Aerial Billboards

Choosing an aerial billboard provides a prominent canvas for showcasing graphic messages and computer enhanced artwork. They are frequently used for building brand identification and for increasing product awareness and retention. Thevibrant colors and larger-than-life dimensions create a striking presentation of company logos and emblems. When not being flown, billboards can also be used as a static display at events. They are constructed for durability and, with proper maintenance, will last for hundreds of hours of flight time. Billboards are ready to be flown/displayed approximately two weeks after submission or approval of artwork. Details are provided on the “Billboard Production Specifications and Related Costs” page.

Every billboard is customized and made to client specifications. Once clients have decided that a billboard is right for them, Aerial Advertising Services will meet with

them to determine needs, outline a cost structure and create their unique billboard and

advertising schedule.

Billboard Production Specificationsand Related Costs

Sizing

  • Standard: The range for standard sized billboards is from 10 to 25 feet in height and up to 100 feet in length.
  • Super Sized:These billboards can be constructed to extend to 30 feet in height and up to 120 feet in length.
  • Jumbo:Occasionally we do special projects for clients who require colossally-sized billboards. Jumbo billboards can be constructed to extend to 140 feet in height and 250 feet in length.

ArtworkCosts

  • Provided by clientConversion charge only @ $75
  • Developed by AAS$115 per hour design

Production

  • Costs are about $195 per square foot, plus $180 for rigging.

Storage

  • $20 per month

Repairs

  • $35 per hour, excluding materials

With reasonable maintenance, most billboards can be flown for hundreds of hours; however, sometimes repairs are needed. Typical repairs are abrasion repair to the durable mesh, replacement of worn stretcher flags, and paint and artwork touch-ups.

Aerial Ads – ELEVATING Product Awareness

Logo Billboards with Trailing Letter Banners

Logo billboards with trailing letter banners combine the vivid imagery of billboards with

the textual message versatility of letter banners. They are smaller in size than standard

billboards and feature special fasteners that attach to banners. The billboards are reusable

and the trailing copy can be changed and customized to reflect current specials or promotions. Custom event-specific trailers are available and are made to coordinate with

the logo.

Also available is the flag logo, a speciallogo billboard optionin which the text messageis presented first and the branding billboard flies as a flag at the back of the text.

Every billboard is customized and made to client specifications. Once clients have

decided that a billboard is right for them, Aerial Advertising Services will meet with

them to determine needs, outline a cost structure and create their unique billboard and

advertising schedule.

Details are provided on the “Logo Billboard with Letter Banner Production

Specifications and Related Costs” page.

Logo Billboard with Letter Banner Production Specifications and Related Costs

Logo Billboard Specifics:

Sizing

  • The standard size for logo billboards is 15 to 20 feet in height and 20 to 40 feet in length.

ArtworkCosts

  • Provided by clientConversion charge only @ $75
  • Developed by AAS$115 per hour design

Production

  • Costs are about $195 per square foot, plus $180 for rigging

Storage

  • $20 per month

Repairs

  • $35 per hour, excluding materials

With reasonable maintenance, most billboards can be flown for hundreds of hours; however, sometimes repairs are needed. Typical repairs are abrasion repair to the durable mesh, replacement of worn stretcher flags, and paint and artwork touch-ups.

Letter Banner Specifics:

Sizing

  • Characters on the standard size banner are 5 feet in height and may be up to 40 characters in length (not including spaces).
  • Characters on the super size banner are 7 feet in height and may be up to 30 characters in length (not including spaces).

Customized Assembly

  • Character selections include: letters (A-Z); numbers (1-9); large symbols (&, $, #,

%, +, /, =, £); punctuation marks (dash, period, comma, apostrophe, exclamation

point, question mark, colon, semi-colon, quotes). Any other standard type of

graphic available for manufacture may be used. Characters also are availablefor

messages in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Production

Assembly Charges

  • 5 Foot Standard Size Banner/Per Letter/$15 Minimum$1
  • 7 Foot Standard Size Banner/Per Letter/$20 Minimum$1.75

Aerial Ads – RAISING Company Profiles

Aerial Letter Banners

Aerial letter banners feature brilliant red characters constructed from high-strength,

lightweight nylon fabric (Red has proven to be the color with the highest degree of

readability in the sky). Banners can promote a variety of events and activities and

are great for those announcements that require presentation on short notice.

Clients may choose from a wide variety of letters, numbers, symbols and

other graphics to create their custom banner. The copy can be quickly revised to meet

changing needs. Only a short lead time is required to produce a banner. This is a key

advantage. A banner for an advertiser can be assembled and ready for flight within one

week of order placement. In the event of an emergency, we can have your banner ready

as soon as one day after order placement. Details are provided on the “Letter Banner

Production Specifications and Related Costs” page.

Letter Banner Production Specifications

Sizing

  • Characters on the standard size banner are 5 feet in height and may be up to 40 characters in length (not including spaces).
  • Characters on the super size banner are 7 feet in height and may be up to 30 characters in length (not including spaces).

Customized Assembly

  • Character selections include: letters (A-Z); numbers (1-9); large symbols (&, $, #,

%, +, /, =, £); punctuation marks (dash, period, comma, apostrophe, exclamation

point, question mark, colon, semi-colon, quotes). Any other standard type of

graphic available for manufacture may be used. Characters also are available for

messages in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Production

Assembly Charges

  • Setup Charge – 5 Foot Standard Size Banner/Per Letter/$15 Minimum$1
  • Setup Charge – 7 Foot Super Size Banner/Per Letter/$20 Minimum$1.75