Advertising Aimed High

The latest innovation in advertising has a certain Plains of Nasca element to it. No less than those giant figures in South America which are only visible from the air, commercial promotion is being displayed on British farmland along the flight path of airplanes destined for Gatwick Airport, south of London.

Last week, a 100,000-square-foot silhouette of a naked pole dancer advertising a personal services website was painted on a field, visible to thousands of visitors in and out of Gatwick Airport daily.

The local Surrey council has threatened to sue if the designer, London-based Sports Media Gaming (SMG), doesn't remove it.

SMG has refused, claiming it's not a concern of the local council since it can only be seen from the air. Not only that, but SMG plans to paint similar advertisements on fields beneath flight paths out of Manchester, Leeds and Stansted airports.