What An Alien, A Stormtrooper, And A Transformer Are Doing In Facebook's New Ad

Last week, we told you about the ads Facebook has been making to show the public how the site can be used to bring people together in real life.

Last night, the social network released another new commercial on YouTube that extends this principle to what some might call the social fringes. We won't ruin the punchline, but let's just say there are some pretty interesting characters involved in this one, including an alien, a Transformer, and a Stormtrooper.

Set to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey (Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra"), the ad begins by showing a series of people in strange costumes (mostly aliens) getting ready to start their days and traveling somewhere by bus, bike, and taxi cab.

Then, the individuals are shown arriving at a convention of similarly dressed characters, where they exchange friendly greetings and hugs. It is then revealed that it is a meeting of cosplay enthusiasts, people who like to dress up in costumes and act as different characters, that was organized via a Facebook group.

The ad's tagline, "We are not alone," plays on the outer-space theme of the characters and the way Facebook believes it helps connect people to one another.