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Lifestyle

5 Times Oreo’s Advertising Game Proved It Really is America’s Favorite Cookie

Kylie McLaughlin
This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Delaware chapter.

Whether you dunk them, twist them, lick them, or just straight up devour them, Oreo has not only established itself as “Milk’s Favorite Cookie,” but the world’s best-selling cookie. Bringing in over $3.28 billion in global sales for 2014, this classic cookie is not one to be messed with.  

Nabisco has come a long way since manufacturing its first Oreo in 1912, introducing a plethora of different flavors and expanding its business to over 100 countries. Despite how tasty these new flavors may be, they are not the driving factor behind the cookie franchise’s most recent success.

Oreo’s real-time advertising has engaged tons of new customers and turned them into a social media powerhouse. With their intriguing images and witty banter, Oreo’s follower ratio is through the roof. Keebler, take notes.

1. “You Can Still Dunk in the Dark”

The Baltimore Ravens may have won Super Bowl XLVII, but Oreo was the real MVP. After the infamous blackout following Beyonce’s killer half-time performance, Oreo wasted no characters or money on this quick tweet. Within the hour, there were over 15,000 retweets and 20,000 Facebook likes for this simple one-liner.  

Not to mention, it was tweeted within minutes of the blackout, saving Oreo the $4 million it would have spent if it had run as a commercial during the game. The popularity of the tweet not only helped Oreo dominate on social media  during the Super Bowl, but it also got big names like the Huffington Post and Forbes to talk about their success as well. Touchdown, Oreo.

2. The “Daily Twist” Campaign

In 2012, Oreo celebrated being a century old with their “Daily Twist” Campaign. For 100 days, milk’s favorite cookie posted their responses to what was happening in real-time each day in cookie form, of course. Starting on June 25th, the campaign kicked off with the image of a rainbow-filled cookie celebrating Gay Pride Month.

National Bullying Prevention, Shark Week, the Mars Rover landing, and many more buzzworthy events also got their own customized Oreo throughout the hundred days.  With the presence of these ads on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr, Oreo saw a 110% growth in fan interaction per social media post.

3. #OreoEclipse

Using data from the Royal Astronomical Society and TimeAndDate.com, Oreo created an unforgettable Oreo Eclipse that mirrored the exact movements of the solar eclipse which occurred over the United Kingdom in 2015. The event lasted about two hours and was displayed at various public locations in London and Edinburgh. This insanely creative and technical real-time campaign was a huge hit among its 20 million viewers and even boosted their sales 59% the following week. Oreo truly went sky high with this one, ending the eclipse with a reminder to its customers, “You won’t have to wait 11 years for the next one.” 

4. #GiveOreoABreak

Nabisco and Hershey might as well be the Montagues and the Capulets of the chocolate realm, except the only thing worth dying for in these companies may be the sweets they produce. This rivalry dates back to Nabisco’s entrance into the business world, but a recent Twitter exchange may have subsided the feud.

It all began when user @Laura_ellenxx tweeted, “Can tell I like chocolate a bit too much when I’m following @KitKat and @Oreo hahahahah.” Kit Kat saw this and challenged Oreo to a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, complete with a Kit Kat “x.” Rather than continue the game, Oreo stopped the game in its tracks and replied to that chocolate bar’s account complimenting them.

Twitter users went nuts over the exchange, loving every second of the banter between the two supposed rivals, thus giving Oreo an even more creative and personable rep than they had previously.

5. “Wonderfilled” 

The bright side has Oreos, right? With the “Wonderfilled” campaign, the cookie franchise tries to rid the world of its cynicism, one Oreo at a time. The anthem features historically infamous characters, like the Big Bad Wolf and a vampire, who turn a new leaf with the help of an Oreo and encourage a more pleasant ending.

Despite these childhood stories and animations, this commercial was actually aimed towards adults. Oreo believes that adults have to be reminded of their sense of wonder, and this campaign helps achieve that. 

This ambitious advertising move helped Oreo establish itself as not only the world’s favorite cookie, but one of the world’s most iconic brands.  Oreo turned its focus to the bigger picture and incorporated values that anyone, regardless of age, can identify with. 

Kylie McLaughlin

Delaware '18

eat clean to stay fit, eat a burger to stay sane