What Is a Product Launch Drone Show Like?

A product launch drone show is a format that uses a formation of drones fitted with LED lights and programmed in sync to draw the logo, product images and brand message in the sky at the very moment of the announcement. From Samsung's performance at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event in London to the 100-drone show Xuân Air delivered for SHB Bank's new card launch in 2025, this format is becoming the choice of brands that want to turn their launch into a media event. Join Drone Xuân Air in analysing why a drone show is effective for a launch, the drone fleet size suited to each type of product, 6 storyboard ideas and the pricing process from A to Z.

1. Why Is the Drone Show a Hot Format for Product Launches?

Product launches compete on one thing only: the moment that makes the press and social media talk about them. The drone show was born for exactly that goal; first appearing in the world in 2012 in Linz (Austria), it has now become a brand activation tool used by major brands in Vietnam. This section analyses 5 measurable benefits and compares ROI with other forms of performance.

1.1. 5 measurable PR/marketing benefits (reach, earned media, social share)

Unlike event decoration items, a drone show produces marketing metrics that can be measured after the show night:

• Reach beyond the live audience: the images are clearly visible from 2–5 km, and the whole area around the venue becomes a natural "grandstand" for the brand

• Earned media in the press: major shows in Vietnam such as Red Bull's "Húc Tới Đi" with 500 drones at Bạch Đằng Wharf on the night of April 30 were all covered by many newspapers, with a media value exceeding the cost of an equivalent advertising booking

• Organic social sharing: audiences film and post videos of their own accord, creating UGC (user-generated content) that spreads without a seeding budget

• An iconic moment tied to the product: the image of the product glowing in the sky becomes a key visual reused throughout the campaign after the launch

• Positioning as a technological, pioneering brand: using a drone show is in itself a message about innovation, suited to products that want to emphasise their modernity

1.2. Comparing ROI vs fireworks, light projection and performance shows

A drone show has a higher starting cost than fireworks, but the core difference lies in its ability to convey the brand: fireworks cannot draw a logo, light projection needs a suitable building surface, and a performance show is limited to the stage's line of sight. Only a drone show both displays the brand identity and product shape accurately and covers a range of view of several kilometres. A traditional fireworks session costs VND 500 million to more than 1 billion but carries no message specific to the brand, whereas every minute of a drone show is brand content. For a product launch, where every cost comes back to the goal of brand recall, this is the point that gives the drone show superior media ROI.

2. Drone Fleet Size by Type of Product Being Launched

Not every launch needs hundreds of drones: the optimal scale depends on the product segment, the complexity of the imagery to be shown and the venue space. Below is the three-tier reference framework Xuân Air usually recommends to clients, with real examples for each group.

2.1. Consumer products (FMCG, F&B): 100–300 drones

The FMCG and F&B group usually launches at medium-scale outdoor events, where 100–300 drones are enough to form the logo, the packaging shape and a sharp text message. The 100-drone show Xuân Air delivered for SHB's new card launch in 2025 is a typical example of this tier: the image of the card and the brand identity appeared sharply, at a reasonable cost for one element within the overall event. This is also a suitable starting level for brands trying out the drone show format for the first time.

2.2. Technology products (electronics, cars): 300–500 drones

Technology products need to show detailed shapes (a phone, a car, a device), so they demand a higher density of light points: 300–500 drones allow a rotating 3D product model to be built, features to be simulated and transitions between viewing angles. The way Samsung used a drone show at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 in London to promote the Galaxy S24 shows the standard for this group: the product becomes the main character in the sky, not just a logo.

2.3. Premium/luxury products (watches, luxury cars): 500–1,000 drones

The luxury segment stakes everything on a prestigious experience, where 500–1,000 drones can build multi-layered 3D animation with exquisite detail: a moving watch dial, the curves of a car body lighting up layer by layer. This scale turns the launch into a cultural event the media look forward to, suited to brands positioned at the top of the segment and launches with VIP guests and the international press.

3. 6 Sensational Storyboard Ideas for a Product Launch Drone Show

The storyboard determines most of the media effect of a launch show: with the same number of drones, different ways of telling the story create different levels of spread. The three groups of ideas below are the storyboard framework Xuân Air applies, and they can be combined in the same show depending on the launch message.

3.1. Reveal of the logo + main product image

The classic and safe storyboard: the drone formation gathers from a dispersed state into the brand logo, then transforms into the shape of the product at the exact moment the MC makes the announcement. Sensational variations include the "unveiling" effect, in which a blurred image gradually reveals the product, or "assembly", in which the parts of the product fly in from several directions and join into a complete form. The key point is second-accurate synchronisation with the stage script so that the reveal moment happens simultaneously in the sky and on the ground.

3.2. Storytelling the brand journey in 3–5 scenes

Instead of just showing the logo, this storyboard tells the brand's journey through 3–5 seamless scenes: the problem users face, the creative process, and the product appearing as the solution. The narrative structure gives the video recording of the show a beginning, middle and end, making it easy to share in full rather than just a few seconds of the climax. See how Xuân Air stages scenes through completed drone show projects for brands such as SHB.

3.3. Countdown effect for the launch moment, set to music

A giant countdown clock in the sky (10, 9, 8...) set to driving background music with the whole audience counting along, ending in an "explosion" of light into the shape of the product. This is the storyboard that creates the strongest collective moment, especially effective for launches combined with an event countdown or a meaningful time milestone for the brand. The resonance of sound, light and crowd gives the viral video an energy that hardly any other format can match.

4. Organisation Process and Pricing for a Product Launch from A to Z

A product launch drone show needs 4–8 weeks of preparation depending on scale, during which the product imagery design stage and the flight permit application run in parallel. The standard process at Xuân Air comprises 5 steps:

1. Receiving the brief and advising on scale (week 1): analyse the product, the launch message and the venue in order to propose a suitable number of drones and concept

2. Storyboard design and 3D simulation (weeks 1–3): build a preview of the product imagery in software for the brand to approve before programming

3. Flight permit application (weeks 2–5): the application is sent to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and the military authority; processing time is usually 2–4 weeks

4. Formation programming and test flight (weeks 4–6): synchronise the flight paths with the launch's stage timeline, music and MC

5. Official show flight: operate according to the approved safety plan, with a weather contingency plan attached

As for pricing, the cost depends on three main variables: the number of drones according to the product segment (section 2), the complexity of the product's 3D model, and the venue. Contact Drone Xuân Air for an indicative quotation by 100/300/500-drone package for launch events. To receive an accurate quotation with a suggested concept within 2–3 days, the brand only needs to provide product information, the planned launch date and the venue to the Xuân Air consulting team.

5. Xuân Air - Professional Product Launch Drone Show Performances

A product launch drone show turns the moment of announcement into an iconic moment: the logo and product shape glowing in the sky, earned media spreading and videos shared by the audience themselves across social media. Drone Xuân Air provides end-to-end support from concept, 3D simulation and the flight permit application to operating the show night, with hands-on experience from the 100-drone SHB card launch show and the 400–700 drone projects at Đại Nam, in Gia Lai and in Cần Thơ, and a network of brand partners including Vietcombank, Budweiser, Grab and Masan.

Contact information:

• Hotline: +84 969 045 871

• Email: trung@xuanair.com

• Website: xuanair.com/contact

• Address: 1 Nguyễn Đổng Chi, Phú Mỹ Hưng Urban Area, Tân Hưng, Ho Chi Minh City 100000, Vietnam