Yes, the United States Air Force warned us to stay away, yet these brave brands are not ashamed to hop aboard the major hype cycle surrounding the social media prank “Area 51.”
While the event is a spoof (we think), the marketing opportunity is definitely real. AList gives you a roundup of brands “hijacking” #Area51 to target young humans and aliens and will update this audacious list (we don’t doubt there is more to come) as more companies launch activations and creative campaigns.
Arby’s Food Truck And Top-Secret Menu
There won’t be a lack of gastronomic variety at the “Area 51” raid (that is if it happens).
Arby’s announced its 2,000-mile road trip to feed the nearly two million people who marked themselves (on Facebook) as going to the event. The restaurant chain said it will bring a food truck to the event in September, regardless of whether it remains an “Area 51” raid or an Area 51 music festival.
Per Arby’s CMO, Jim Taylor, “[Arby’s] can’t confirm if there are aliens at Area 51. But, if they do show up, they deserve the best meats on Earth. If not, Arby’s will still be there serving the planet’s best meats to everyone else attending this historic event.”
ASOS Alien Shopping Spree
For fashionistas who also love aliens, the British online fashion and beauty retailer ASOS incorporated the “Area 51” meme in their social media strategy. They shared a tweet which portrays an alien who went all out shopping ASOS and bought pretty much everything.
Bud Light Beer Giveaway
Bud Light promised to treat aliens escaping the raid to free beer. If they make it out, of course.
DiGiorno Delivers On September 20th
DiGiorno pizza shared a fun fact: “No pizza place delivers to #Area51 and aliens obviously eat pizza so they OBVIOUSLY EAT DIGIORNO.” They are betting Nevada aliens love a good frozen pizza.
Kool-Aid Posts Their Own Meme
Kool-Aid didn’t miss out on a chance to appeal to their “kool” younger audiences on Twitter who are getting ready to “see them aliens” in September.
Funyuns Rings For Aliens
Funyuns believes aliens are no strangers to snack attacks and imagines them chewing on onion rings while waiting for the humans to come and raid them.
Remember Who’s King
Burger King came up with a self-centered, clever message to those heading to “Area 51” and asked them to remember who’s king.
Aliens Try Wendy’s
According to Wendy’s, an alien’s first interaction with the brand’s earthly burger will look something like this.
Xbox Is In
Just so Xbox’s Twitter followers know, the video game company is planning to storm “Area 51” and is looking for like-minded daredevils to join them.