As the 2026 Yellowstone International Air Show approaches, we've rebuilt the event website, grown the show program into a 92-page publication, deepened partnerships with eight local media groups, and grown the show's social following to nearly 13,000 combined followers. Most of this campaign carries forward what we learned from the sold-out 2023 show, applied at a bigger scale for a bigger year — the Blue Angels headline, and 2026 also marks America's 250th birthday. Here's what's gone into the campaign so far, and what we're watching as the show gets closer.

What We Learned From 2023

Two years ago, YIAS sold out for the first time in more than two decades. We wrote about that campaign in detail, but the short version is this: a few simple principles drove most of the result.

• Start early. A six-month runway let anticipation build gradually instead of all at once.
• Give the website one job. A clear path from curiosity to a purchased ticket, with nothing in the way.
• Build relationships, not just ad buys. Local media partners who were genuinely invested in the show did more than any paid placement could.
• Let the community carry it. Once fans started sharing their own photos and stories, the marketing did itself.
• Track it daily once it's live. Once the campaign fully launched, we watched performance day by day instead of waiting on a monthly report.
• Stay fluid. Ticket sales pace shaped where we shifted spend and effort as the campaign ran.

We used the same principles again this year, just at a larger scale.

A Website Built Around One Job

The event website still anchors the campaign, and we rebuilt it from the ground up at yellowstoneairshow.com, presented by title sponsor Tactacam.

The new site keeps the job simple: get tickets, see the schedule, learn about performers, get involved, and find answers in the FAQ, all reachable from one navigation bar. That was the biggest lesson from 2023 — the site's only real job is moving a visitor from curious to committed as fast as possible.

The rebuilt yellowstoneairshow.com homepage.

A Show Program That Became Its Own Publication

The official show program grew into a 92-page publication this year, with 20,000 copies printed for the event weekend — closer to a small magazine than a typical event program.

That scale created an opportunity we didn't have in 2023: nearly 40 local and regional businesses, from contractors and auto dealers to a local college, purchased ads throughout the book. Selling program advertising turned a cost center into something that partially pays for itself, while giving Billings-area businesses a way to reach tens of thousands of attendees.

An interior spread from the 92-page 2026 show program.

Local Media Partnerships and PR

We built out relationships with eight local media groups this year, and ran a PR push across multiple additional media outlets, and the combined media value included a mix of cash, trade, and ticket allocations.

In practice, that looks like:

• Paid and traded radio and TV commercial schedules with local media groups
• PR outreach and interviews across multiple additional local media outlets
• Ticket giveaway contests and on-air games run through partner stations and social channels
• Ad space inside the show program itself

The goal isn't just impressions. It's getting local media genuinely invested in the show, so the promotion feels like local news rather than an ad buy — the same thing that worked in 2023.

Billboards Across Billings

Beyond broadcast, print, and digital, we also put the show on billboards around Billings this year. It's a simple, high-visibility way to keep the show in front of people who aren't necessarily online or tuned into local radio and TV — a reminder in daily life, not just in a feed or an inbox.

A Statewide Digital Campaign

Alongside the broadcast, PR, and billboard mix, we ran a complex, strategic digital campaign built around sophisticated audience targeting across the entire State of Montana. Instead of generic banner placements, the campaign targeted specific audience segments wherever they were online, then layered in retargeting to bring back past website visitors and ticket shoppers who hadn't converted yet.

That combination — precise targeting up front, retargeting on the back end — gave the campaign a constant, statewide digital presence running underneath everything else in the marketing mix.

A Social Community That Kept Growing

The 2023 campaign built its audience from nothing over six months, and it turned into a real community rather than a one-way broadcast. That community has kept growing since.

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The content strategy carries over the same fundamentals: performer highlights, behind-the-scenes looks at the buildout, and a steady posting cadence on Instagram and Facebook.

The Print and Visual Identity Behind It All

Beyond the website and social channels, this year's campaign produced a full set of printed and physical materials — posters, sponsor signage, and static event displays.

The poster series ties the show's headline attractions to this year's milestones: the Blue Angels' 80th anniversary and the nation's 250th birthday. Every poster carries a scannable QR code that routes straight to ticket purchase.

The 2026 title sponsor poster.

A lifestyle poster variant from the same campaign.

A Few Common Questions

How is the 2026 marketing campaign different from 2023?

The core strategy is the same — an early start, a website built for one job, real media partnerships, and community-driven social growth. The main difference is scale: a bigger show program, more media partners, and a larger built-in audience to start from.

What's left before the show?

Not much. The website is live, the program is printed, media partnerships are running their on-air schedules, and the social channels are sharing regular updates as the show gets closer.

What We're Watching Next

With the show two weeks out, most of the groundwork is done. Once the weekend wraps, we'll follow up with a full results recap — attendance, revenue, and social reach — the same way we did after 2023, so this campaign can be measured against what we set out to do.

Follow along on Instagram or Facebook as the show gets closer, or check back here for the next post in this series.

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