In order for consumers to learn about a product, companies know they must advertise. Yet, few are familiar with the effectiveness of using an airplane banner to do this. An airplane banner is a logo, slogan, or message repeatedly pulled behind an airplane over some gathering of people.

What principles make up effective advertising? Let’s consider a few of them and see how banner ads fulfill each one. First, advertising should aim at a target audience. Not everyone will be interested in your product. But it is almost certain that some in a large crowd watching an ad float by overhead will be interested.

The second principle of advertising is to establish an image. Many products need no name; their logo says it all. The golden arches, the Chevy emblem, the Wendy’s girl are just a few. Picture your logo trailing behind an airplane in full view of thousands of people. If you have done your homework, most of them will know what it means and how your product will immediately help them.

The third principle is this: plan to spend money in order to make money. Advertising costs money but it also brings in money. Banner ads are a bargain when you consider the cost/outreach ratio. But a banner ad still will cost money for production and display. If you want your advertising dollars to go a long way, banner ads are well worth considering.

The fourth principle is to advertise in the right places. Where is your target audience? It may read the newspaper, magazine, mail ad, or watch a TV ad, or it may not. Banner ads are aimed at everyone in a crowd and surely some of those reading it will be interested to learn more.

Point five is this: don’t let your budget dictate how much you spend monthly on advertising. Some products are seasonal and to spend the same amount to promote that item in December as in June is not sensible. Banner ads are perfect for summer seasonal items as well as non-seasonal products for the target audience will always be gathering outdoors in warmer weather.

The sixth principle is the diversity your ads. Don’t advertise in just one way. Banner ads are not an end all in advertising. They are, however, an effective way to get a message to a large group of people. In fact, some banner ads direct people to other ads such as a newspaper coupon or a webpage.

The seventh point is to test your ads in advance. Banner ads have already been tested and found effective in getting a message read and remembered. And there is no competition in the sky when it floats by repeatedly.

Point eight is to monitor your ads. Inquire as to where new customers heard about your product. It is likely that many will have seen it in the sky while they were at the beach or some other gathering.

From these principles we can determine that flying banners are both a smart and effective means of telling target audiences about your product.

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