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How Oreo Became a Social Media Star
Oreo has been around for more than 100 years and is the world's favorite cookie. But its popularity began to wane during the digital age because it wasn't seen as socially aware or interactive enough. To combat that, Oreo used social media to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012 and showed that a late bloomer could rise to stardom and stay there.
It all started with the Daily Twist campaign. For 100 days, from June 25 - October 2, 2012, Oreo commemorated a historical event for each day. The campaign sparked some controversy because the first Facebook post was a picture of a rainbow Oreo commemorating Gay Pride Month. According to the New York Daily News, while most of the reviews were positive, some outraged fans even called for a boycott of the brand. Luckily, the positive comments far outweighed the negative ones. Some other events commemorated in this campaign were the giant panda Shin-Shin giving birth at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on July 5th, NASA's rover landing on Mars on August 5th, and even Elvis Week on August 14th. This Daily Twist campaign was successful because it gave Oreo a personality. It showed the issues that the brand cares about, no matter how controversial, and it showed that Oreo is paying attention to what's going on in the world and isn't self-centered. At the same time, Oreo used its cookie in creative ways to commemorate these events, showing its artistic side and the versatility of its product.
Oreo's most famous Tweet came unexpectedly and at a time when every major brand out there was competing for viewers and showcasing their creative marketing talent. During the 2013 Super Bowl, the lights went out at the New Orleans Super Dome. Oreo quickly went to Twitter to make the most of this opportunity. It tweeted a photo of an Oreo in the dark with a vignette lighting and the caption, "You can still dunk in the dark." The tweet itself said, "Power out? No problem." According to Business Insider, this was retweeted over 16,000 times and became one of the most memorable parts of the game. The tweet showed spontaneity and initiative. The social media marketing managers at Oreo were able to think on their feet and again showed how creative Oreo can be and that the brand does pay attention to what's happening around the world.
Oreo is not only socially aware, but also takes the time to interact with fans and other brands on social media. In March 2013, Twitter user Laura Ellen tweeted that she loves chocolate and was following both Oreo and Kit Kat on Twitter. Kit Kat created a tic-tac-toe game and challenged Oreo for Laura's affections. Oreo reacted by virtually taking a bite out of the Kit Kat in the original photo and saying it couldn't resist. I think it's safe to say Oreo won, and this interaction was so popular that it was even covered by Ad Age.
Another example of a famous Twitter interaction was in October 2013 when Twitter user Lisa Barone tweeted an enthusiastic reaction to one of Oreo's Vines, saying she wanted to make out with Oreo. Oreo replied with, "Are you dunk-tweeting us?" and finally said, "Stop flirting with us... you're making our wafers blush." Hootsuite blogger Hannah Clark said this interaction showed sass and flirtatiousness. I think it definitely shows Oreo's fun and creative side, and when brands interact with their fans that way, they develop brand personalities and make their fans feel more like friends.
Speaking of sass, Time named Oreo as one of the "13 Sassiest Brands on Twitter." The Vine videos that Oreo creates and cross-promotes on Twitter are seen as edgy and humorous. My favorite was its parody of The Shining, titled "The Spilling."
Oreo now has over 42 million likes on Facebook, 822,000 followers on Twitter, 2 million followers on Instagram, 23,000 followers on Pinterest, 142,000 subscribers and 159 million views on YouTube, and 66,000 followers on Vine. It has become an example of how to "win" at social media marketing. Oreo rose to stardom by developing a likable brand personality with strong human values and beliefs, and demonstrating creativity, innovation, and quick thinking on social media.