A Russian start-up wants to display ads in the sky

Moscow – Media company StartRocket believes that the commodification of the night sky is the next frontier in advertising.

A recently released concept video to promote the project shows logos bearing a resemblance to those of McDonald’s and KFC hovering in the sky over various cities. To action the initiative the start-up will launch its Orbital Display in 2020, in which CubeSats will orbit at an altitude of between 400km and 500km. These will start displaying ads in the night sky by 2021.

‘We are ruled by brands and events,’ project leader Vlad Sitnikov, told Futurism. ‘The economy is the blood system of society. Entertainment and advertising are at its heart. We will live in space, and humankind will start delivering its culture to space.’

As we move into the future, our cities will become ever more dictated by brands. To explore the idea that omnipresent advertising could lead to an urban dystopia, visit our Branded Cities microsite.