Japanese beverage company unveils plan to put first ad on the moon

A Japanese beverage company has an out-of-this-world advertising idea. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. said it's going to shoot a can filled with its beloved beverage Pocari Sweat and embossed with its logo to the moon. It will be the first commercial product ever sent there as a marketing stunt. Set to launch in October 2015, the can will be filled with a powdered version of the popular drink along with the dreams and wishes of 38,000 children from Asia etched inside.
The specially designed can is made from titanium so it won't disintegrate from the journey's extreme climate shifts or the sun's radiation. It will travel to the moon on the Elon Musk-created Falcon 9 rocket on its first mission to the moon. The Verge reports that Otsuka hopes the stunt will inspire youngsters to become astronauts, travel 230,000 miles to the moon, and become the first ones to consume the drink. -- Jordan Valinsky
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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