If it ever turns out that those strange objects zipping around our skies are extraterrestrials visiting Earth, then companies may have just found their next customer base.

It has been a year defined by astonishing revelations about UFOS and wild claims before Congress that our government could be in possession of otherworldly corpses. The mere prospect of first encounters with the third kind may have filled many people with a sense of wonder, dread and perhaps even a little fear.

But enterprising brands may have instead sensed a lucrative business opportunity.

And MoonPie may be the first among them seeking to capitalize on a potential interstellar demographic. The company announced Tuesday that it has embarked on a new advertising campaign targeted directly at our alien overlords.

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MoonPies hopes to corner extraterrestrial market

So is it a tongue-in-cheek marketing ploy to drum up attention for the famed chocolatey confectionary with the marshmallow filling, or a genuine effort to reach extraterrestrial visitors who may enjoy a tasty earthling treat?

Well, as a spokeswoman said in an email to USA TODAY pitching a story on the concept: " I'd like to reassure you that this is completely serious."

What that means in the strictest sense is this: The ad campaign is indeed very real, so much so that MoonPies partnered with the advertising agency Tombras, consulted experts on extraterrestrials, and crafted a language allegedly recognizable only to non-human entities.

The brand then launched a website Tuesday that is theoretically tailored specifically for aliens. We puny humans may even have noticed MoonPie signage on airplane banners and billboards throughout the world in areas the experts deemed UFO hotspots, including Tokyo, New York City's Times Square, and Roswell, New Mexico.

“Wouldn't it be awesome for MoonPie to go down in history as the brand that makes first confirmed contact with non-humans?" Tombras President Dooley Tombras said in a statement. "The fact that we’re even having this conversation is astounding.”

MoonPie offers chance to become 'Alienfluencer'

MoonPie may just have picked the ideal time to corner the alien market for mass-produced desserts.

Public interest in extraterrestrial life has been mounting in recent months ever since Congress' latest foray in July into the topic of UFOs, which the government now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. During the hearing, three former military officers testified about mysterious objects sighted by Navy pilots, as well as an alleged clandestine program to retrieve and study both downed spacecraft and also their pilots.

Pop culture has remained rife with extraterrestrials ever since, as Netflix released a documentary in September and actor Goldie Hawn came forward in October to recount her own apparent close encounter decades ago.

While it's not controversial to say UAPs do exist, NASA has remained firm in its own September report that no evidence has yet materialized to confirm beyond a doubt that the objects are piloted by little green men.

But if extraterrestrials are out there, the MoonPie campaign is also on the hunt for some "Alienfluencers." Anyone can apply for the cryptic role, as long as they can prove they’re from another planet.

Let's just hope they come in peace.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

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