Beetle banner to fly over Mumbai sky on a copter

Mumbai: The Beetle, which captured millions of hearts as the curvy, temperamental Herbie in The Love Bug and a series of other rocking misadventures on screen, will soon be seen in the Mumbai skies.
Volkswagen, the world’s largest carmaker after its takeover of Porsche, has lined up an innovative campaign that will see the Beetle being promoted through a huge 10,000 sq ft banner that will travel through the skies of Mumbai on a copter around Christmas eve.
The German carmaker has tied up with aircraft leasing company Deccan Charters for the campaign, a person close to the development told ET. “We have been contacted by the agency of an auto major and are working with them on a campaign,” said Sanjay Saihgal, VP (business development) at Deccan Charters, but declined to share any name. Volkswagen did not respond to an e-mail.
Running an aerial promotion such as this requires special permissions from the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) as well as permissions from city authorities.
The expense and the many permissions that are required for such a campaign make this a fairly exclusive exercise limited to a few firms with big budget launches. Deccan charges between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for every hour in the air. The banner, made of a special material so it doesn't tear in the wind, can cost anywhere between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, depending on the size.
Jigar Thaleshwar, manager, marketing and business development (western region), Deccan said this was the first time such a campaign was being done in India, although hot air balloons atop buildings and occasionally aircraft have been used.
Most companies opt to carry out the exercise in two to three cities so that usage of the banner is maximised.
21/12/09 N Shivapriya & Lijee Philip/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Dec 2009, New Dec 2009