Starburst Is Beaming TikToks In Space To Ask Aliens What Makes It So Juicy

Starburst is asking the universe one of the most important questions; “How do they make Starburst taste so juicy?”

The Mars Wrigley company is asking fans to create videos on TikTok with the hashtag #BeamItUpStarburst, and it intends to broadcast the most imaginative videos into the cosmos to attract the attention of alien neighbors. 

SpaceSpeak is working with Starburst and advertising agency DDB—who helped conceptualize the Ask the Universe project—and will beam the videos up using special technology.

SpaceSpeak will be utilizing a device that was first invented by Peter Beery in 2005. This gadget allows messages to be propelled through the solar system at the low wattage of a 2-5 GHz transmitter that is attached to an 18-inch parabolic dish to transmit messages. The videos will eventually be turned into photons that can travel the galaxy for infinity.

Starburst is hoping that extraterrestrial life will stumble upon these TikToks and help give us answers to the secrets of the universe and the secrets to Starburst’s candy. The lucky winners will also be able to track where their videos travel to in space via a microsite.

The campaign is being announced by astrophysicist and influencer Kirsten Banks, who will also give users an example on which to base their videos on.

According to a study, interest in space among Gen Z stands at 63%, making this launch into the cosmos an obvious choice.

The challenge lasts a month and a half and is accompanied by Starburst’s first television commercial since 2015. The spot shows two “fruit people” on a distant planet who are the reason why the candy is so juicy.

[via Marketing Dive and Space.com, cover image via DDB]