Dive Brief:

• MoonPie, the purveyor of marshmallow-filled snacks, ran a global ad campaign targeted at extraterrestrials, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Working with agency of record Tombras, the brand enlisted the help of several enthusiasts dedicated to researching unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) to tailor the right 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 topic.

Dive Insight:

July’s congressional hearings on UAPs — a technical term similar to UFOs — sparked a surge of chatter about the possibility of alien life on Earth due to revelations around the presence of “non-human biologics.” The moment invited both excitement and skepticism from the public, as well as plenty of the expected conspiracy theorizing. For MoonPie, it presented a marketing opportunity, one that eventually took the form of odd, futuristic-looking outdoor ads and an accompanying four-minute video about the brand’s process in developing the campaign.

To strike the right tone with potential extraterrestrial customers who may 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 public in the form of static and mobile billboards, along 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 carefully 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 colors and cryptic text recall dystopian settings seen in movies like “Blade Runner,” where imposing cityscapes are frequently blanketed in ads.

MoonPie isn’t ending its quest for first contact with the ads. The marketer has set up a website with informational materials around UAPs and has pledged to name the first extraterrestrial to reveal itself as the official MoonPie “Alien-fluencer.”