- MoonPie, the purveyor of marshmallow-filled snacks, ran a global ad campaign targeted at extraterrestrials, in accordance with details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Working with agency of record Tombras, the brand enlisted the assistance of several enthusiasts dedicated to researching unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) to tailor the fitting message for its interplanetary audience.
- The result was a series of out-of-home (OOH) ads written in a language that purportedly only aliens can understand, with placements in UAP “hotspots” including Washington, DC, and Roswell, New Mexico. MoonPie is attempting to capitalize on renewed interest in UAPs following recent congressional hearings on the subject.
July’s congressional hearings on UAPs — a technical term much like UFOs — sparked a surge of chatter concerning the possibility of alien life on Earth as a result of revelations across the presence of “non-human biologics.” The moment invited each excitement and skepticism from the general public, in addition to plenty of the expected conspiracy theorizing. For MoonPie, it presented a marketing opportunity, one which eventually took the shape of odd, futuristic-looking outdoor ads and an accompanying four-minute video concerning the brand’s process in developing the campaign.
To strike the fitting tone with potential extraterrestrial customers who could also be craving a sweet treat, MoonPie collaborated with several researchers dedicated to UAPs, including retired U.S. Navy Chief and activist Sean Cahill; linguistics expert Daniel Oberhaus; and Holly Wood, communications director at a platform called Investigate the Unknown that seeks to bring mysterious phenomena to the mainstream.
After months of work, the campaign manifested to the general public in the shape of static and mobile billboards, together with airplane and boat banner ads, the latter format recognizing that some aliens may prefer aquatic environments. Placements ran in areas apparently known for attracting UAP activity, including Roswell, DC, Times Square, Cape Canaveral, London and Tokyo. MoonPie capped off the OOH blitz with a fastidiously choreographed drone light show over the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico (aliens having an entrenched association with pyramids of all sorts).
While MoonPie’s outdoor ads claim to be custom-built for non-humans, consumers may find their aesthetic familiar. The buzzing neon colours and cryptic text recall dystopian settings seen in movies like “Blade Runner,” where imposing cityscapes are continuously blanketed in ads.
MoonPie isn’t ending its quest for first contact with the ads. The marketer has arrange a website with informational materials around UAPs and has pledged to call the primary extraterrestrial to disclose itself because the official MoonPie “Alien-fluencer.”
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