Conan blimp

[2] Many of O'Brien's followers, both fans and celebrities, remained faithful to the "Team Conan" movement throughout his short, contractually-obligated absence from television.

As he embarked on The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour and prepared to host Conan on TBS, O'Brien's social media presence became a powerful marketing tool.

Thus, to promote the never-before-seen late-night talk show as effectively as he did his tour and documentary, O'Brien and TBS developed the Conan blimp.

The orange airship, bearing "CONAN" across its side, was designed to engage fans with its social media functions and allow them to get a better feel for the new TBS program's vibe.

[8] Prior to Blue Sky handling, the physical production of the dirigible, Breakfast, a digital-interactive agency based in New York, developed a small model blimp with video capabilities and an iPad control system.

[8] At the time of the blimp's creation, the promotion of Conan relied heavily on sponsors like AT&T, who funded its advertisements despite the fact that TBS had not yet aired a single episode.

AT&T served as Conan's biggest sponsor, funding the blimp's interactive website, promotional commercials and appearances at the MLB postseason games.

[9] The blimp debuted several weeks before the premiere of Conan to provide aerial footage for 2010 Major League Baseball postseason games airing on TBS.

Typically, the expensive blimp was used for ironically trivial purposes, such as providing aerial coverage of a bike race among Conan's crew.