Luxury Ads to Appear on Southampton Helipad ... Village takes 55 percent cut of advertising revenue. Southampton Heliport (87N), Southampton, New York

The Southampton Village Helipad.

Credit BrendanJ.O'Reilly

Photo credit: Jake Bliskin

Come Sept. 1, East End visitors descending onto the Meadow Lane helipad will see more than just asphalt.

They’ll see luxury advertisements, under Southampton Village’s recently inked deal with New Jersey-based Roaring Thunder Media. Executive Vice President Brad Dyer said Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley signed the two-year contract last week.

Dyer has already started speaking with a few potential clients interested in advertising before Labor Day, but said he could not share their names. Many of Roaring Thunder’s accounts are high-end tourism and automobile companies and jewelers, he said. Mercedes-Benz and Swiss watch company Audemars Piguet are pictured as advertisers on Roaring Thunder’s website.

The village has the right to refuse any clients Roaring Thunder finds, though Dyer doubts that would happen, he said. According to the contract, the village can also revoke the deal if Roaring Thunder is unable to find any advertisers within six months.

As part of the deal, Southampton Village will receive 55 percent of the revenue from advertisements painted at the helipad. According to the contract, rates for a 20-foot-by-50-foot ad are between $15,000 and $20,000 for the months of June, July and August. During the shoulder season months of May and September, Roaring Thunder Media charges between $10,000 and $15,000, and the price drops to as low as $2,500 during the late fall, early spring and winter, the contract states.

“Expenses come out off our end,” Dyer said, adding that his company hires professional artists to paint the advertisements on the slab.

Dyer approached the village about monetizing their helipad at the beginning of the summer. The board authorized the mayor to sign the contract at a late July work session. Epley did not respond to requests to comment on the deal.

Roaring Thunder has an extensive advertising program with Audemars Piguet at the 34th Street heliport. Roaring Thunder facilitated a “domination” campaign at the Manhattan heliport, allowing the watch company to wrap a building with advertisements and install tarmac signage on five of the heliport bays, among other features.

· Luxury Ads to Appear on Southampton Helipad [Southampton Patch]
· Southampton Heliport (87N) [AirNav]