Understanding Airplane Advertising through Examples: The Case of The Boy From Oz

It can be said that while many companies and individuals use airplane advertising today, it is not yet one of the most common forms of advertising methods today. This is a shame, because airplane advertising can be very effective especially used properly. As proof, many major and mainstream events and products have used this type of advertisement for their campaign—with remarkable results. One of the campaigns that used airplane advertising that experienced success is the Broadway musical The Boy from Oz. Anyone familiar with aerial advertising would know that this musical has been used as an example of a good airplane advertising campaign over and over again. However, this is with good reason. Why is it that this particular campaign is noteworthy? And can other companies attain the same results?

The Boy from Oz is a musical production from Australia that made its Broadway debut in 2004. Now, it isn’t common for Australian theater productions to make a Broadway debut, especially since the country has enough material to fill the need for new productions every year. More often than that, off-Broadway productions (those performed outside of Broadway) fill this gap, so premiering a foreign production is rare, especially the ones outside New York and London’s West End. The Boy from Oz was actually the first musical from Australia to debut in Broadway—a major feat for a country with a sprawling entertainment industry, although at that point it had to scale great heights to become a success. That it starred Hugh Jackman, already popular due to the X-Men movie, was an advantage, but the production needed a way to deliver its message clearly.

This is where airplane advertising entered the picture. The production company used airplane advertising to show a banner with a picture of Hugh Jackman together with the logo of the musical during rush hour. This campaign is singled out as one of the major reasons why the musical entered the people’s consciousness, ultimately turning it into a Broadway success and giving Jackman a Tony Award.  

So how come airplane advertising is notable here? Consider the odds stacked against The Boy From Oz. In 2004, when it premiered, the musical had fierce competition with other popular musicals—namely crowd favorites Avenue Q and Wicked (Wicked turned out one of Broadway’s most bankable productions, becoming one of the bestsellers even until today). Nonetheless, The Boy From Oz managed to stand out. It would have been difficult if the production relied on traditional advertising forms, since other productions use these too. Therefore, the use of airplane advertising worked to its advantage, because it creates brand recognition and helping it stand out.

This example shows that airplane advertising works when one wants to steer clear from the competition. It certainly worked for The Boy From Oz, and it will work for others, too.