What it had to solve
Refresh the eight-year-old 'Unexplainably Juicy' platform and reach Gen Z, the cohort most interested in space (63% vs a 49% US average).
The idea
A TikTok challenge whose most creative entries were literally beamed into deep space via SpaceSpeak, asking aliens how Starburst gets so juicy.
How it works
Six-week #BeamItUpStarburst challenge (Sept 6 to Oct 14, 2022): creators made TikToks posing the juiciness question; Starburst, the first brand to beam TikToks into space, transmitted selected entries via SpaceSpeak, with a site tracking each video's journey in real time. Astrophysicist Kirsten Banks kicked it off; a new TVC by Bine Bach ran alongside online video, print, paid search and social.
What it did
Starburst claimed a first: no brand had beamed TikToks into space before. The campaign refreshed 'Unexplainably Juicy' around curiosity and gave creators a real-time space tracker; the article reports no participation or sales figures.
Background
After more than eight years building its 'Unexplainably Juicy' platform, Starburst refreshed its proposition to reconnect with fans and reach an expanded Gen Z audience - the cohort most interested in space, at 63% versus a 49% US average. The new campaign, developed with DDB and titled 'Ask the Universe', is built on the question Starburst fans have always wondered: how do they make Starburst taste so juicy?
From September 6 to October 14, 2022, fans could create a TikTok asking that question in whatever communication they thought would resonate with higher life forms, using #BeamItUpStarburst. The most creative videos would be beamed into space through a first-of-its-kind partnership with SpaceSpeak - Starburst says it is the first brand to beam TikToks into space - travelling at the speed of light and clearing the solar system on day one. A website let creators input their handle and watch their video's progress in real time.
Astrophysicist and TikTok creator Kirsten Banks (@astrokirsten) announced the challenge, and Spark Ads plus sequential advertising supported it. The campaign also included a new TV commercial directed by Bine Bach through Biscuit Filmworks, which debuted in early August 2022 - Starburst's first core-product TV ad since 2015 - with creative running in online video, print, paid search and select social channels.
Why it lands
Gen Z was the cohort most interested in space (63% vs a 49% US average), so space fit both the brand question and the audience.
The campaign literalized the brand's oldest joke: only the universe can explain the juiciness.
A first-of-its-kind mechanic - the first brand to beam TikToks into space - earned attention no media plan could buy.
The real-time space tracker turned a one-way stunt into a participatory experience creators could share.
What you can take
An old brand question can power a new platform when the medium itself embodies the joke - asking the universe, literally, is the only honest way to answer 'how do they make it so juicy'.
Since then
The challenge ran from September 6 to October 14, 2022, supported by Spark Ads and sequential advertising and kicked off by astrophysicist Kirsten Banks (@astrokirsten). Selected TikToks were transmitted via SpaceSpeak and, travelling at light speed, passed through the solar system on their first day. The Bine Bach TV commercial debuted in early August 2022 as the brand's first core-product TVC since 2015, with creative also running in online video, print, paid search and select social. LBB's report gave no participation numbers or sales results.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE