Oreo: Facebook’s Favourite Cookie

It’s one thing for a brand to create a social media campaign that temporary drives users to their Facebook page. It’s another to develop a social media presence that constantly leaves consumers wondering what the brand is going to do next. While companies often develop elaborate social media campaigns to engage consumers and make themselves memorable, sometimes all they need to do is keep it simple.

A recent example of a brand that used a simple social media strategy is Oreo. In 2012, with the help of ad agency, 360i, Oreo created the Daily Twist campaign for their Facebook page. Each day, from June 25^th to October 2^nd, the brand posted an image of the cookie redesigned to mark an occasion that occurred on that date. For instance, on September 19^th, they posted an image of an Oreo wearing an eye patch with the tagline, “Talk Like a Pirate Day”. They used various pop culture references to reach niche markets. To further involve their fans, consumers were invited to visit Oreo’s website and make suggestions for the different images that were going to be created. On the last day of the campaign, Oreo created a pop-up agency in Times Square where the final cookie was designed in real-time. They encouraged their fans to visit and experience the process of what went into designing each image.

 "Talk Like a Pirate Day" image from Oreo's Daily Twist campaign.

The campaign was successful, as it increased customer engagement by 110% and added five million more likes to their Facebook page. The campaign also gave Oreo exposure from other media outlets and groups. For instance, they began the Daily Twist by designing a cookie for Gay Pride Week. Not only did this spark discussion among people in the LGBT community, but it also helped the campaign go viral. By the end of the campaign, Oreo had nearly 32 million likes on their Facebook page, and were soon established as a brand leader on Facebook.

In order to gain attention from consumers and media, Oreo participated in newsjacking, an approach in which a company integrates their message into current news stories. They were able to integrate topical subjects in a playful way to promote their brand, while also creating discussions about the specific occasion or event the cookie was representing. In addition to this, the execution of the campaign was nearly flawless. They used simple visuals to spread their message and make each one memorable. Oreo’s campaign also offered an element of surprise and delight, as fans continued to come back everyday to see a new image. In addition to this, it shows that Oreo truly understands what their brand represents. They played into their brand personality of being young, playful, and fun by having their cookie represent unusual or untraditional events. Their simple ideas, combined with the use of pop culture references enabled them to create an emotional connection for consumers.

Although the campaign was inexpensive to execute, it was very time consuming and would have required constant monitoring online. While the campaign only lasted 100 days, it would have been interesting to see if Oreo would still be successful if they had continued to post new images for a longer period of time.

Regardless of what it could have turned into, Oreo’s social media campaign is an excellent example for small companies or brands looking for inexpensive ways to develop their online presence. While most brands believe they need to develop elaborate campaigns that personally involve consumers, as this case study suggests, taking a simple approach can be just as effective.

Source: http://www.shopify.com/blog/7589919-the-secret-behind-oreos-social-media-marketing#ixzz2kwVXcY90