It was meant to be a seamless spectacle in the night sky for hundreds of onlookers, moving in perfect formation. Instead, a drone show in Liuyang, China, in October 2025, malfunctioned and sent burning debris to the ground, ignited fires and forced spectators to flee for cover.
The incident was rare but also clarifying.
Five months on, as more brands experiment with drone swarms as an out-of-home format, the Liuyang malfunction is a reminder that aerial spectacle is still aviation. Unlike billboards, digital screens or building wraps, drone advertising operates in regulated airspace, under weather constraints, and within increasingly scrutinised safety frameworks.
And yet, the scale of this medium continues to grow. Drone shows as a form of OOH advertising have been around since the mid-2010s, with early experiments in Europe before becoming more widely used for brand campaigns in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Today, the global drone-enabled marketing and advertising market is currently valued at around $1.5 billion (as of early 2026 estimates), and in APAC is likely around $200-300 million based on proportional estimates from global trends.
In Asia, China is a big innovator and early adopter of drone shows, partly as a creative alternative to fireworks that are banned in several of its cities. Chinese companies like EHang and Damoda are key players in developing drone swarm technology for advertising displays. Some of these displays have made headlines, including Hyundai, which in 2021 launched a record-breaking large-scale drone light show in Shanghai for their Genesis brand, followed by other luxury brands like Bulgari, helping popularise drone advertising in the region.
But the growing scale of drone advertising does not equal strategy. In 2026, the question is less whether drones can dazzle but whether this format warrants a piece of the growing media mix compared to traditional OOH formats that offer frequency, measurement and regulatory certainty.
Still a novelty
Joss Roulet, global business director at Billups, says that while drone
activations can deliver impressive moments for brands, they don’t work as a
standalone campaign or ongoing audience program.
"Drone shows aren’t media plans—they’re fireworks for brands. They
function best as vanity campaigns or as one-off spectaculars designed to
amplify something 'cool'," says Roulet. "Increasingly, brands use
them as offline stunts to fuel content creation with influencers, PR, or social
amplification. They work well when they deliver a 'never been done before'
moment, or when executed in a location that wouldn’t otherwise allow for such
visibility."
In Australia, Geely’s EX5 drone launch was proof that drone out of home can
transcend novelty and deliver genuine brand storytelling. The 500-drone display
over Sydney Harbour and Melbourne’s skyline didn’t just showcase a product, it
projected a vision.
"It showed how technology, choreography, and cultural relevance can come
together to tell a commercial story with scale and emotion, not just
spectacle," says Daniela Rocchi, head of investment, Sydney, Initiative.
"For an EV brand entering a competitive Australian market, the medium
itself became the message: innovation, precision, and progress brought to life
above two of the country’s most iconic cityscapes."
Recent executions suggest the technology is evolving quickly. In April last year, a 1,500-drone show over Shanghai celebrated the anniversary of the game Princess Connect: Re:Dive, with developer Cygames creating animated characters, logos and a scannable QR code in the sky. The QR code took people directly to the game’s physical download page. Yet while China has pushed the boundaries of scale and execution, adoption elsewhere has been slower.
"A market like China has shown the world that this is something that is scalable to a certain degree; it is yet to catch on at the same pace in other markets," says Kiron Kesav, chief strategy officer, PHD Asia Pacific. "As the logistics, costs and tech evolve, the adoption has the potential to scale up. But that brings with it the important question of 'if all brands start doing it, would it still be able to capture attention?'"
Indeed, the frequency of drone shows today in China, tied to festivals, tourism, or government celebrations, means that while impressive, they have become more accessible and less premium. For large consumer brands, this presents a risk: what was once innovative now risks being perceived as commonplace.
From a Chinese perspective, drone shows no longer feel groundbreaking and may even be dismissed by some audiences as ‘affordable spectacle’ rather than high-end brand innovation.
Drone shows are costly and complex undertakings, forcing brands to consider whether the high expense and logistical challenges are justified. Drone campaigns typically range from $50,000-$300,000 for shows (100–1,000 drones), depending on scale, duration (5-15 mins), location permits, and creative complexity like custom animations.
By comparisson, digital out-of-home equivalents (e.g., LED billboards or screens over 1-2 weeks in high-traffic urban spots) cost $20,000–$150,000, varying by city premium, screen inventory, and production. Brands often justify this investment through the significant earned media and social amplification that the drone light show generates, extending campaign reach well beyond the live audience.
Planning usually takes four weeks. "The key step is securing flight permits and venue approval (based on venue avails.)," says Roulet. "Which drives the timeline. Once approved, teams finalise drone animation (logo/brand shapes), testing, and production before the show. That's pretty quick and it's done in one week including back and forth with brand marketing."
But planning times can vary. In Australia, drone advertising campaigns typically require several weeks to a few months of planning, depending on the scale and complexity of the activation.
"While the technology allows for highly precise and automated performances, time is still required for creative development, programming the drone formations, and coordinating production logistics, " sayas Rocchi. "Regulatory approvals are also an important part of the timeline. Drone operations must comply with rules set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and permits generally take two to four weeks for smaller activations, while larger or key tourist sites may require four to eight weeks or longer due to airspace and safety requirements."
However, advances in AI coordination and mass production of small drones, partly driven by military technologies, have lowered costs, especially in China. Today, the key variables are permits and location.
"The risks are real: regulatory hurdles, local restrictions, sustainability concerns, and community acceptance," says Joulet. "That’s why we only work with licensed, reliable local partners in each market rather than one global operator. This ensures compliance with regulations, adaptation to cultural sensitivities, and the right local flavour. Execution quality and legal safety are as important as the visual impact."
But while there's no ignoring the operational realities around cost, weather, safety, and sustainability, brands shouldn’t dismiss drones on logistics alone.
"Agencies have a role to play in weighing risk against resonance," says Rocchi. "When the concept has purpose and cultural relevance, the risk becomes part of the reward. When it’s a gimmick, it’s just a light show."
Drone advertising generally has a lower environmental impact than traditional spectacle large showcase formats such as fireworks, helicopters and skywriters because drones are powered by rechargeable batteries and produce no direct emissions during operation. Most of the carbon footprint comes from electricity used for charging and the logistics involved in transporting equipment. Drones do create some noise from their rotors, but this is usually short in duration and typically quieter than fireworks or aircraft. Battery management and recycling are also important considerations, and professional operators typically follow strict protocols for charging, reuse, and disposal of lithium batteries.
"In Australia, drone campaigns must comply with regulations set by Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), along with local council permits and safety requirements, " says Rocchi. "While environmental factors are considered, they are generally not a major barrier, and drone activations are often viewed as a more sustainable alternative to traditional event showcase formats."
Cool content works when it's credible
In the media mix, drones typically have a role when a brand is trying to create a big moment, whether it is for launches, or events, etc. To that end, drone activations are less about frequency and more about fame. The high production cost is justified when the brand moment demands cultural cut-through, product launches, national celebrations, and global tentpoles.
"Success isn’t measured only in paid impressions but in the earned ecosystem, the social content, press coverage, and consumer buzz that follow," adds Rocchi. "When executed well, one five-minute show can deliver the same heat as weeks of traditional media."
Studies show drone ads have a recall rate over 80%, significantly higher than traditional billboards, and drive twice the engagement compared to static displays. About 75% of consumers notice aerial drone footage during marketing campaigns, and drone shows are also highly shareable on social media, creating viral organic reach.
Yet, in a world obsessed with virality, it is easy to chase attention for attention’s sake. Drone shows are powerful when they mark a special occasion—celebrating a gold medal, sending a unique message, or creating a limited-time spectacle. But while drone shows may qualify as ‘cool content’, how much is too much?
"The key is relevance: a drone show should feel justified by context and meaning, not just as another 'cool stunt," says Roulet. "Otherwise, the backlash can outweigh the positive buzz."
There's no doubt that consumers are increasingly exposed to ‘cool’ content (or content that tries to be cool) on a regular basis. But Kesav warns that you don’t start with the aim of creating ‘cool’ content.
"It's dangerous to focus on cool, just for the sake of cool. Be clear about what the said content is meant to do for the brand, while carefully assessing whether it fits the voice of the brand. If this genuine ‘fit’ exists and if it has the potential to truly resonate with the consumers, that is when the content could become ‘cool’."
Indeed, audiences are now more discerning and know when a brand is showing off rather than genuinely showing up.
"The most effective work uses technology to deepen storytelling, not distract from it," says Rocchi. "Drone advertising may still sit at the edge of the out-of-home mix, but it’s already proving one thing: when creativity and innovation align with intent, the sky isn’t the limit, it’s the canvas."
Source: Campaign
Asia-Pacific
