Aerial advertising has seen numerous changes since it began in the early 1920s, and we are now in the middle of another advertising revolution. Right now, drone technology is changing hundreds of industries and is beginning to change the world.
According to Fortune, a company from Switzerland is utilizing drone-based advertising on its new creation, the Skye. The Skye is a spherical drone that looks and moves like a blimp. The device moves slowly and is soft to the touch, so unlike other drones, flying near people isn’t an issue.
Aerotain created the Skye, which contains four electric motors that each operate a propeller and are inside a 10-foot-diameter helium balloon. A computer controls the device, and the drone can stay in the air for approximately two hours on only one charge. Most drones only last around 20 minutes before they need to be recharged.
The drone even has recreational benefits as well. When asked about what would happen if the drone would lose power while in the sky, Daniel Meier, co-founder of Aerotain, said, “It becomes a huge balloon and people could play with it.”
The Skye is just one of many drones that are being implemented into the advertising industry around the world.
According to WhaTech, the global drone market — which currently sits at $137 million — is projected to reach over $2.7 billion by 2022. That’s nearly a 2,000% increase in only six years.
Experts say that aerial advertising will continue to offer new and cost-effective ways of marketing for businesses.
Keith Kaplan, the CEO of Tesla Foundation and representative of UAV System Association, told The Huffington Post that the future is essentially already here.
“The pace of the drone industry’s innovations are moving at light speed,” Kaplan said. “There are no signs of slowing any time soon as you will see each week, as the past week will seem like ‘the old days.'”