Taking ads to new heights
JMB Marketing plans flying billboards
A Marlboro marketing firm has taken to the skies, making airborne billboards out of hot air balloons in what the firm’s owner calls a New England first.
Bob Martel, founder of JMB Marketing Group, says he developed the billboards to create a full-fledged branding program that can run from southern Massachusetts all the way to New Hampshire.
Digital Federal Credit Union in Marlboro is Martel’s first and only balloon customer so far. DCU owns the balloon, which is emblazoned on both sides with its logo. Martel serves exclusively as pilot under a two-year contract.
Although the RE/MAX balloon has been flown around New England for years, Martel hopes to create the region’s first airborne billboards. Companies would buy the balloons in conjunction with other companies, or buy their own balloon outright. Fractional contracts would allow multiple companies to purchase one balloon, and split the advertising time by changing the artwork attached to the balloon’s side.
Martel founded JMB in 1992, focusing on personalized, direct-marketing for smaller, established companies. Direct mail still comprises the lion’s share its business; JMB’s major effort is its Thanks a Billion Program, which specializes in hand written thank you notes to clients.
But Martel says he decided to take a chance on the new advertising project, because it fused his love of hot air ballooning with his knowledge of marketing. Partnering with DCU allowed him to get the project off the ground. He has piloted the balloon for the credit union 11 times since October.
When the weather prohibits flight, Martel sets up the balloon in the DCU parking lot during the evening for "night glows" – lighting up the balloon with the flame used to heat the air inside. The bright light attracts onlookers from the nearby mall.
"Nobody in New England was really doing it. For most pilots this is just something they do on the weekend for sport," Martel says.
Lindstrand Balloons USA in Illinois built the balloon over an eight-week period. It arrived six weeks ago at DCU’s Donald Lynch Boulevard headquarters – down the road from the Solomon Pond Mall.
Balloons cost between $18,000 and $30,000 to buy. But Martel insists they are "within reach of a lot of companies who might think it’s cost prohibitive."
Although it’s sometimes difficult for companies to realize their return on a direct marketing investment, he believes that the buzz it creates is well worth it.
Tim Garner, chief marketing officer for DCU, says that the credit union has already seen a great response from the public on its balloon. "It’s a fun way to get our name in front of people," he says.
According to Martel: "This is for any company that has the belief in a well rounded marketing program. Floating billboards just add another dimension."
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