Skywards Ho!

A city-based former pilot turned entrepreneur is steering brands up above

It’s a sight seldom seen over Indian skies. An aircraft hovering above with a huge banner tailing it. Well,all of last weekend saw everyone in the city look up and take notice. A first for not just the region but the country too was this aerial advertising that’s being steered on by a Chandigarh-based entrepreneur. “Yes it’s a first for the country,” admits Capt SS Dhillon,a former pilot who has rolled out his brand ‘Sky Ads’ which aims to take branding to the skies. “It may be a new concept in the country but overseas aerial advertising is a popular way to reach out to the consumer,” spoke Dhillon,whose company has got all permissions by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in place for the banner towing,as it is referred to. Interestingly,the first brand to take to the skies was the aviation institute Frankfinn. “I had been planning to launch aerial advertising some years back but felt the market wasn’t ready to accept it then. Today,with brands competing for space and the media clutter on television,it’s brought in overwhelming response,” the managing director of Sky Ads goes on to explain.

If you have travelled overseas or are a Hollywood movie buff then you’ll recognize the concept. While in the movies it’s always a ‘Will you marry me’,in reality it’s a strong marketing medium to get the message across. “For one,there’s no competition. The skies are your open message board,” Dhillon smiles to say. Speaking of technicalities,banner towing requires skill and specialised equipment. “Our pilots have been trained professionally for banner towing. Also the aircraft in use is specially made for the purpose,” he explains. And if you are wondering what length to stick to for a message,then the options are plenty. Dhillon explains: “One can choose from the various formats such as billboard size,Logo billboards and trailing letters,aerial letter banners and more. As far as letter count goes,it depends on the format in use.” To give you an idea,they can tow 40 to 45 seven-foot letters in a banner format. “The most popular colour is red but there are variants too,” shares Dhillon who is keen to take the concept across the country. “We will be doing regional sorties soon,” he says looking up.