NJHotair.com offers high-degree
aerial
promotions in the form of targeted hot air balloon and airship advertising
campaigns.
The corporate ballooning world
is a goldmine of opportunity for most businesses and corporations.
With the right marketing plan, a balloon program can boost sales,
increase product visibility and bring a return on investment
exponentially higher than most traditional media or marketing
methods.
Our company has many years of
experience flying all sizes and shapes of hot air balloons, blimps
and airships. The Owner and Chief Pilot, Jon Radowski, is extremely
proficient in media, marketing and press relations. A natural for
the camera and radio, Jon loves to promote and talk about
ballooning, and your interests in the marketing campaign will
benefit from his love of the sport and willingness to share the
experience with as many as possible.
Our New Jersey home flying
areas in Hunterdon and Somerset counties are the closest to NYC
normally attainable by hot air balloon marketing. However, for
special campaigns, we can plan the ultimate promotion - balloon
advertising flights over New York City. These are a premium service
and wholly dependent on ideal weather and other certain conditions,
but the results can be astounding.
Outside of the NJ/NYC area, We
often hit the road for months at a time, traversing the country on
national balloon marketing campaigns. We visit hot air balloon
festivals, sports series, company conferences, large cities,
convention centers, auto races, outdoor festivals, concerts, and a
multitude of other high-visibility events that hold the prime target
market for the balloon program.
The amount, location and
frequency of appearances can be custom-tailored in your own program.
We're capable of managing and coordinating any size local, regional
or national corporate balloon or airship program. We also offer the
option of balloon pilot and crew training, which allows you to be
involved with the campaign as much or as little as possible. If
you'd rather let us handle everything, we'd be more than happy to do
so.
If you think you're ready to
experience a guaranteed marketing revolution through hot air
balloons and airships, read on below to find out more about the
options available to start advertising your company or product right
away. Then give us a call or send us an email for a frank and honest
discussion of how we can handle your campaign. Once we determine the
most appropriate course of action, our in-house graphics department
can then get you an artist's rendering of your balloon or airship
right away.
 |
| Banners are the quickest and least expensive
type of
balloon advertising. |
Banners
Balloon banners are the most
basic and inexpensive of all our advertising options. Banners are a
great starting point for a smaller or medium-sized company to test
the waters of hot air balloon marketing before making a significant
investment on a balloon of their own.
Our hot air balloons can be
adorned with a large fabric banner prominently displayed for
countless thousands of people to see each time the balloon flies.
These banners fit the shape of the balloon precisely, giving the impression that the artwork is sewn directly into the
balloon fabric.
Your company name and logo will
be skillfully reproduced in exact proportions by our artists.
For most designs, we will use paint or sewn fabric to recreate your logo. If photorealistic
results are desired, large-format inkjet printing can be harnessed
to provide the necessary resolution. These days, there's nothing that can't be
done!
Once your banners are installed
on our balloon, we will fly in the target market of your choice to
generate positive exposure.
Corporate
Hot Air Balloons
The standard corporate balloon
program utilizes a traditionally-shaped "round" balloon
with company logos or product artwork applied or sewn directly onto
the fabric of the balloon. The advanced methods of balloon
construction today allow for any possible concept to be turned into
a flying work of art that will turn heads and promote goodwill at
every appearance.
 |
| The Space Shuttle
Patriot and America One hot air balloons float low in the air
across a river. Patriot is the tallest hot air balloon
in the world at 178 feet! |
Special
Shape Hot Air Balloons
For the ultimate advertising
campaign, sometimes the use of a specially-shaped hot air balloon is
called for. Products, characters, mascots and logos can all be
recreated in larger-than-life scale and with highly accurate detail.
With the help of computer-assisted design (CAD) and high-powered
physics software, it's possible to translate nearly any conceivable
shape into a high-flying work of art.
Owner/Chief Pilot Jon Radowski
has been flying and managing the nationwide tour of the Space
Shuttle Patriot hot air balloon since late 2002. Patriot is
the tallest hot air balloon in the world, with a height of 178 feet
and a wingspan of 115 feet! The nylon balloon fabric alone weighs
992 pounds - half a ton! A crew of 15-20 is required to set up and
pack away this gargantuan balloon. Patriot appears across the
country at select balloon festivals and special events alongside its
sister ship, America One. Click
here for more information on the Patriot and America
One hot air balloon team.
 |
| Tony The Tiger is
a prime example of a simple appendage shape balloon. |
If a full-fledged special shape
such as the Space Shuttle isn't quite what you have in mind, there's another option. A step above a normal
round balloon, appendage balloons can be built for a fraction of the
price of a special shape for much of the same effect. The Tony
The Tiger balloon shown at right is a prime example of
one of the most successful appendage balloon campaigns, flying
continually since 1985.
The experts at NJHotair.com can
manage your own special shape hot air balloon program, beginning
with initial design concepts and continuing all the way through to
completion and a nationwide advertising campaign. Email
us for more information.
Airships
and Blimps
Almost everyone has seen a
blimp at one time or another. Hovering over major sporting events,
festivals, concerts, auto races, and other such outdoor events, an
airship commands the attention of awestruck spectators below.
Emblazoned with company colors and lettering, they ply the skies
peddling tires, beer, insurance, soft drinks, fashion styles, and other
high-profile product lines. It's hard to miss the sight of a
gigantic blimp lumbering overhead.
 |
| Although
extremely popular in European countries, the massive impact of
thermal airship advertising has not yet been realized in the
USA. |
Unfortunately, these giants of
the sky are extremely expensive. Costing upwards of 2 to 8 million
dollars to simply construct, they are not exactly within the realms of most
companies' advertising budgets. On top
of that, a helium blimp requires a large ground crew and support vehicle
fleet for handling, maintenance and upkeep. Each helium fill-up can
cost around $50,000 - not to mention periodic refills as the
precious gas seeps out through the skin on a regular basis. Cost of
operation on a monthly basis is about $200,000 to $500,000.
So, why are we telling you all
these downsides to helium airships? The answer is, as you can
imagine by now:
HOT AIR.
Hot Air Airships offer most of
the benefits, but with the price tag and operating expenses of less
than 10% of their helium cousins. Without the need for expensive
helium, hot air airships operate on standard propane fuel for
buoyancy and automotive gas for the forward propulsion engine.
 |
| Night operations
are possible with FAA approved lighting. The airship envelope
can be internally illuminated for maximum visibility. |
Helium blimps must traverse the
country slowly by air with a huge support fleet following beneath,
also requiring them to follow the good weather. Helium blimps don't fly in the
Northern half of the USA in the winter months, as helium
loses lift as it gets colder outside. That's why you didn't see a
blimp at the frigid NFL playoffs in Pittsburgh, but you will at the Super
Bowl in Florida!
Hot air airships can fly
year-round, and they actually enjoy benefits to flying in cooler
weather. A higher payload can be carried, which means either more
passengers or more fuel load for farther and longer flights. Top
airspeed is about 20-25 miles per hour, and the upper wind limit
that flights can be successfully undertaken is approximately 12-15
mph. Best times to fly are morning and late afternoon, which most
often coincide with drive time and rush hour traffic for lots of
ground-based viewers.
 |
| The airship
gondola can carry pilot plus up to three passengers, or a solo
pilot with extra fuel for longer endurance flights. |
Helium airships require a detail
of 12-30 full-time crew members to travel with the blimp. Hot air
airships only require a minimum crew of three plus pilot. Hot air airships are packed up
after every flight and transported in a trailer to the next flight
location. This removes the obvious logistical nightmare of flying
across country and requiring
that massive support fleet!
A typical hot air airship will
cost in the range of $200,000 to $300,000 to construct.
That's about what it costs for a month of regular airship rent.
Beyond the initial equipment investment, it costs approximately $200,000 to $500,000 per year to conduct a full-time
nationwide marketing campaign. Contact us to discuss your options.
