2015 is the year which Back to the Future Part II made some bold predictions for back in 1989, and although we don't quite yet have self-tying shoes, hoverboards and flying cars, 2015 is still looking like it could be a year of serious innovation.
Out of Home advertising has continued to grow over the past few years, with new technologies creating new opportunities for advertisers to promote their product or brand. Interactive and digital billboards have become commonplace in recent years, but 2015 could be the year that sees advertisements prepare to move not just out of home, but out of the atmosphere.
!['SpaceBillboard' orbiting Earth.]( "SpaceBillboards prepare for lift-off.")
A group of Belgian researchers have announced the project 'SpaceBillboard' - and the name speaks for itself. Although not scheduled for launch until early 2016, the team at KU Leuven University are offering companies the chance to purchase advertising space on the first ever billboard to be located in space. With ad space selling for €2,500 per square, a number of companies have already invested in the project - most noticeably Microsoft.
The idea of advertising in space certainly seems questionable at best. Who will actually see the messages? With the billboard set to orbit the Earth at 27,400km/h at an altitude of 500km, it of course won't be visible from our planet's surface, and we very much doubt that any nearby extra-terrestrials will be interested in the new Windows 10 operating system.
Well, SpaceBillboard developers claim that rather than offer actual advertising impact, the project mostly allows companies to show their support for space research and generate more funding for future initiatives. Additionally, all messages transmitted in space will be simultaneously shown on the SpaceBillboard website, meaning that companies are at least getting some exposure for their expense. The billboard will orbit for approximately 10 years, before burning up on its return into the Earth's atmosphere, ensuring that no debris will be left behind.
!['Pocari Sweat' can depicted on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background.]( "One step for can...")
The news of SpaceBillboard comes just a matter of months since Japanese soft drink Pocari Sweat announced its intentions to land an advertisement on the surface of the moon in October 2015, becoming the first commerical product delivered to another planet for marketing purposes. The ad will be a replica can filled with a powdered version of the sports drink, as well as the messages of schoolchildren from across Asia in the hope of inspiring future generations to become astronauts and re-read their own messages some years later.
Out of Home advertising has continued to grow over the past few years, with new technologies creating new opportunities for advertisers to promote their product or brand. Interactive and digital billboards have become commonplace in recent years, but 2015 could be the year that sees advertisements prepare to move not just out of home, but out of the atmosphere.
'SpaceBillboard' will orbit the Earth 15 times per day
A group of Belgian researchers have announced the project 'SpaceBillboard' - and the name speaks for itself. Although not scheduled for launch until early 2016, the team at KU Leuven University are offering companies the chance to purchase advertising space on the first ever billboard to be located in space. With ad space selling for €2,500 per square, a number of companies have already invested in the project - most noticeably Microsoft.
The idea of advertising in space certainly seems questionable at best. Who will actually see the messages? With the billboard set to orbit the Earth at 27,400km/h at an altitude of 500km, it of course won't be visible from our planet's surface, and we very much doubt that any nearby extra-terrestrials will be interested in the new Windows 10 operating system.
Well, SpaceBillboard developers claim that rather than offer actual advertising impact, the project mostly allows companies to show their support for space research and generate more funding for future initiatives. Additionally, all messages transmitted in space will be simultaneously shown on the SpaceBillboard website, meaning that companies are at least getting some exposure for their expense. The billboard will orbit for approximately 10 years, before burning up on its return into the Earth's atmosphere, ensuring that no debris will be left behind.
Pocari Sweat announced plans to send a can of their drink to the moon