One of Unit9's most astonishing marketing ploys was certainly eye-catching — and excessive.

The production company, which often works with Netflix, hired a Blackhawk helicopter to tow a 2,000-pound billboard for "Extraction 2" over the Malibu coastline around the time of the film's 2023 release.

A video of the flyby was shared in r/aviation on Reddit, which drew comments from disgusted viewers and customers (click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear). While the video almost looks fake, Unit9 confirmed the stunt was real in a press release at the time.

Billboards are one of the most effective forms of advertising
byu/knowitokay inaviation

"So this is where our Netflix monthly subscription increase is going to," one Redditor wrote. 

Unit9 touted the project as a memorable experience. To its point, the flying billboard outdid the "Eat at Joe's"-style banners that have long been towed behind planes at beaches around the country. 

"It soared past crowds on the beach … showing people something they've never seen before and definitely won't forget," Unit9's team said about the stunt. 

It's also more in-your-face evidence that advertising inundation is saturating our world, spoiling what should be enjoyment of natural settings. Often, the messaging is designed to encourage consumerism. 

But it could have the opposite result, at least for some customers. 

"Just making me spitefully not want to watch that now," one Redditor commented. "Just burning fuel to shove an ad in your face when you aren't in front of a screen."

Unit9's team took the viewer experience to an even deeper level of sensory perception with another ad. 

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One "Extraction 2" sign that featured Chris Hemsworth appeared to sweat when viewers approached the star's image, previewing the "intense action" in the movie. The effect was thanks to water emitted through tiny pores in the ad, according to Unit9 — a much more innocuously creative advertisement. 

And Netflix's Sunset Boulevard billboard has a regular lineup of catchy phrases about its programming, as well. It has yet to be hoisted over the sea. 

While the ploys provide for momentary oohs and ahhs, many Redditors have seemingly had enough. Believe it or not, a lot of beachgoers simply want to enjoy an ocean view without screens, sales pitches, or lures for online gambling. 

"I really hate aerial advertising and this seems to be an aggressively awful form of it," a Redditor commented. 

Another one added: "This needs to be illegal."

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