Social media has taken on a big role as Oreo cookies celebrate their 100th anniversary this year. Kraft Foods – which makes Oreos – collaborated with a team of agencies to create the ‘Daily Twist’ campaign, featuring a catchy new Oreo ad on Facebook for 100 days in a row.
Oreo’s 100th anniversary officially started in March with the launch of a print ad campaign focusing on the brand’s history. The ads offered the “Oreo perspective” on moments from the last 100 years, including the introduction of the yo-yo, the arrival of 3-D films and the invention of Pac-Man.
But Oreo also wanted to show the relevance of the brand today – and for that Kraft turned to social media. According to Cindy Chen, the marketing director for Oreo at Kraft Foods, the daily ads are “to show the world how relevant this brand is now” by commenting on “real-time happenings.” These included everything from Gay Pride Month to movie premieres (The Dark Knight Rises, Ice Age: Continental Drift) to the Tour de France and various Olympic events.
The Daily Twist began on June 25 and will conclude next Tuesday (October 2nd). The “whimsical, humorous or eye-catching ads” can be found each day on Oreo’s Facebook page – or on Oreo’s website, Pinterest and Twitter (#DailyTwist) – according to The New York Times. Viewers can even scroll back to see any “Twists” they missed over the course of the 100 days. The ads have the opportunity to reach Oreo’s nearly 28 million fans on Facebook, over 53,000 followers on Twitter, and over 1,000 followers on Pinterest.
So far, the campaign has yielded impressive results. Since the first Daily Twist on June 25 through the ad on August 20th, the brand has seen an average increase of 110% in ‘likes,’ comments and shares on social media, Ms. Chen told The New York Times.
Daily News Through The “Oreo Filter”
“Creating content in real time is not easy to do,” said Chen. So why focus on a realtime campaign? In order to “acknowledge the sped-up internal clocks of consumers” when new technologies lead to “increased expectations of content delivered instantly.” (The New York Times)
Sarah Hofstetter, president at agency 360i, compared creating each Daily Twist to a newsroom, complete with “the daily meeting to discuss what goes on Page One.” The idea was to take daily news and filter it through the “playful imagination of Oreo,” Chen told Ad Age. Then to make a relevant ad “while the world is watching” – an ad so catchy that the world wants to share it.
While some cookie ads were predetermined, the “vast majority” of the work happened in realtime. DraftFCB Creative Director Megan Sheehan told AdAge that “Each morning the team homes in on what’s trending and what’s right for Oreo.” And yes, that included lots of photo shoots involving real Oreos.
The Grand – Realtime – Finale
The campaign will culminate in a realtime, social media contest for the final Daily Twist ad – with the winning ads to be displayed on a huge Times Square billboard. A “temporary ad agency” will be set up near the billboard in Times Square, providing the general public with the chance to submit their Daily Twist ideas in person or via social media.
Representatives of the Oreo brand will accept submissions in the morning, then narrow the field down to eight options and sketch ads for each. Three finalists will be chosen and placed on Oreo’s Facebook page and the Times Square billboard, and the public can then vote for the best option via Facebook and Twitter. After about an hour and half of voting, the final winner will be announced at 2pm, accompanied by giveaways, sampling and more.
One sad drawback for fans: Chen confirmed that, despite requests, “we do not have any plans to create “Daily Twist’-inspired cookies.”
Do you think this campaign is helping the brand to keep pace with the shift to digital, social and mobile? Is there an opportunity for your brand create realtime, relevant advertising?
