TV and magazine advertising have traditionally served as the best ways to reach consumers, but DroneCast — a Philadelphia-based startup that does drone-based advertising — is aiming to change the way businesses lure customers. “We do simple things like banner advertising or dropping glow sticks at a music festival,” said DroneCast founder and CEO Raj Singh. “We service clients like Ford, Sony, Ciroc.” Now comes the hard part: scaling up. That’s why DroneCast is rolling out a new partner program in Brooklyn (and elsewhere). “The partners are the ones that operate the drones,” said Singh. “We give them training. We give them custom drones that we’ve built, and now we have this whole network of people around the world with our equipment.” Even with DroneCast taking a 20 percent commission, Singh said, “we are estimating that partners can make up to $150,000 a year.” It’s a lofty goal for a startup founded by a team of teenagers that has been successful at scoring headlines (if not crowdfunding support). Still, the team has developed its own drone technology and is working on building a global network. The company’s next step, Singh says, is to enhance the advertising platform itself. “We are working on LCD displays hanging from the drones like a flying TV,” he said. “We are also working on things like WiFi hotspots.”
LCD, a startup that provides drone-based advertising to brands such as Ford, Sony and Ciroc, is rolling out a new partner program. The program will see partners operate the drones, which will be provided by LCD, and will help the company expand. Examples of how LCD has used its drones to advertise include display banners and dropping glow sticks at festivals and it is now working on DroneCast displays that can hang from drones in addition to Wi-Fi hotspots.