For decades, brands sought out the most visible points around cities to post their ads. Now, more companies are exploring airspace.
Lightweight LED screens, carried by drones and other aircrafts, are turning the sky into a new experimental arena for outdoor advertising.
One of the companies developing this technology is RoyalAdTek, a Chinese manufacturer of LED solutions that markets mesh screens designed to be lifted by drones. Its flexible and lightweight structure seeks to reduce weight and wind resistance, two determining factors in keeping a large screen suspended in the air.
The company offers different Drone Flying LED Screen models, capable of playing videos, graphics, animations and advertising messages during flights and shows. In 2025, RoyalAdTek presented one of its largest-scale demonstrations: According to the company itself, two DJI Agras T100 drones elevated a 27 × 12 meter LED display, equivalent to approximately 300 m².
When the OOH is no longer anchored to the ground
Technology poses new possibilities for out-of-home advertising (OOH).
While traditional outdoor advertising depends on supports such as façades, stations, roads, urban furniture or large structures, these screens allow messages to be temporarily transferred to the airspace.
The idea is not limited to drones. In the United States, HELI-D presents a proposal for aerial advertising through large LED screens transported by helicopters, specially designed for events and open spaces.
However, bringing more advertising to the skies raises new questions. The commercial use of drones and aircrafts is conditioned by aeronautical regulations, operational restrictions, safety and weather conditions. They also raise another debate: to what extent can these approaches be integrated into urban environments without increasing visual pollution.
Flying screens represent an emerging format, rather than a format that will replace traditional billboards. Still, they demonstrate how OOH can expand when the advertising platform is no longer a fixed structure. The question is no longer only where a billboard can be installed, but what spaces can become billboards.
Sources:
RoyalAdTek — Drone Flying LED Screen / World Largest Drone Flying LED Mesh Screen
HELI-D — Aerial LED advertising