The Great Park? Great Marketing!
Great Park Balloon in Orange County, CA
What if you could advertise your business 400 feet in the air almost every day for all of Orange County to see? Well, that’s what the marketing team decided on for Orange County’s new Great Park. (Read more about the park at the end of this article.)
The Great Park Balloon carries up to 12 passengers 400 feet in the air on a daily business - even operating at night! On a clear day, you can see Newport Coast, Catalina, and downtown LA. If you have driven down the 405 and 5 freeways in the last couple of years - it’s hard to miss!
Obviously, this is not possible for 99.99% of businesses. But the cost of such a balloon was not a “Great” expense for the money behind this operation - it was just clever. It’s a fun, eye-catching, and interactive way for orange county residents to participate and learn about the park.
There are two marketing and advertising ideas that came to mind:
- Repetition
I drove down the 5 freeway every day for 1.5 years, passing the balloon and thinking to myself “I wonder what that is?” and “I should go check that out!” until I finally went to the visitor center. Repetition! Repetition! Repetition! If they had stopped 1 day short in their balloon rides, I would not be sharing this information with you today and their dollars would have gone to waste on me. - Every Business Can Do It! What’s Your Big Orange Balloon?
Every business has the potential to take advantage of clever marketing. Your great marketing idea does not have to be a huge percentage of your budget. Think creatively. Think big!
From the Orange County Great Park Website:
The Orange County Great Park Plan will provide a wide array of active and passive uses, including a 2.5 mile canyon and lake, miles of walking and biking trails, a cultural terrace, Orange County’s largest sports park, a botanical garden, and a tethered helium observation balloon that will be an icon for the Great Park. More than 3,885 of the 4,700 acres will be dedicated to open space, education, and other public uses.