Both fly at 120 feet. Only one of them can be read, and that is not a small difference.
Flat sides can carry a message
A sphere is curved in every direction, so lettering wraps away from the viewer and distorts. It is fine for a logo mark, poor for words.
A blimp has two large, nearly flat panels. Your name reads from an angle and at distance. If somebody needs to know who you are rather than just that something is happening, this is the whole argument.
It points itself at the wind
The fins make a blimp weathervane, so the nose turns into the wind and the body sits side-on to the road much of the time.
That is partly luck and partly why the shape exists. A sphere has no orientation at all; it simply gets pushed. A blimp finds a stable attitude and holds it.
It rides more steadily
The elongated shape and the fins damp out the wallowing that a sphere does on a gusty day.
Steadier is more readable. A sphere bouncing about is more visually active, which is why some people prefer them for pure attention, but nothing on it needs to be read.
When a sphere is still the right answer
When the job is marking a location for one day, when the budget is tight, or when the site cannot take the length.
A 5.5-foot sphere is $351 against $975 for a 13-foot blimp. If nobody has to read anything, that is real money for the same visibility.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email sales@arizonaballoon.com and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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