Cryptocurrencies only have value because people believe in them and recognize their value. The more people own a cryptocurrency, the more likely it is to adopt widely and increase its value. Aerial launches are effective due to the "endowment effect", a phenomenon in which people will attribute value to things simply because they are theirs.
When executing an air release of generosity, a startup can create massive awareness about their project, sale of tokens or pre-ICO with a minimum cost for them. Campaigns on social networks allow the project to be visible to people who would otherwise never recognize its existence. Airdrops can also create a vast network of motivated users to drive the success of a project by doing things together like winning votes in the community to get exchange lists.
By rewarding tokens owners with free air releases, projects can also encourage users to retain (HODL) their currencies in the long term. This can effectively decrease the selling pressure of the coin. Cover releases have been a popular tactic among some of the most successful encryption projects, such as NXT, WAVES, Bitcore and more.
