American Air Lights of Concord, Calif., said the plane, which was advertising the grand opening of a tire store, created the blinking lights that many residents identified Friday night as a UFO, KXTV, Sacramento, reported Tuesday.

"From a distance it looks unidentified, lights are blinking," said Jason Frost, owner of American Air Lights. "You can't read the words unless you're in the target audience (below the plane)."

He said the free publicity from the incident is beneficial to his company.

"It's good for us," he said of the exposure.