Getting someone's attention in this day and age is hard. One way to do it big though is with an airplane banner - a banner attached to an airplane that shows a message.
Named after
Overly Long Gag, this is where
the "gag" is that the "airplane banner" is "overly long," such that they need a second airplane to complete the thought. The second banner is sometimes only one or two words long.
It's also possible to use this trope with paragraphs of skywriting.
Examples:
Advertising:
- Described in a Geico radio ad - the Geico Gecko and the Boss read them as they go by. The Gecko thinks it's a bit much.
- The notorious anti-smoking group Truth once put out a PSA with an airplane flying along a beach, with a banner in tow asking about what additives are put in cigarettes. What follows is an entire fleet of additional planes with even more banners listing off dozens of the 599 additives that are evidently added to the tobacco.
Film:
- The Brothers Solomon has this gag, and wins for having the longest one ever. It goes beyond ridiculous, beyond Narm, and on into stupefied "I can't believe how long this is going on and on with redundant crap in an airline banner. This is stupid!". But of course the protagonists are clueless, and it is a comedy. It's an important part of plot twists before the finale.
Live Action TV:
- The Night Court episode "Constitution" actually does it without an airplane. Bull puts up a "Welcome Home Roz" banner that runs the entire length to the courtroom: eighteen floors.
- Les Nessman has problems with one of these in the famous turkey drop episode of WKRP In Cincinnati.
Newspaper Comics
- This
Red And Rover comic.
Webcomics:
Western Animation:
- Family Guy: Neil sends a message to Meg via airplane banner.
First plane: Meg, I am your destiny. Love, Neil. Also, have you seen my good pen? I feel like I loaned it to you in physics, but I haven't seen in a
Second plane: while.
