Campaigns

Oreocodes 

Oreo

Confectionery brand increases sales 7.3% on previous year by getting shoppers to associate its black-and-white cookie with barcodes

29 Jun 2023

Milk and Oreos – a classic pairing. In April 2023, the Mondelēz-owned brand offered milk buyers a chance to save on the complementary snack. The Oreocodes campaign highlighted an unusual coincidence – barcodes, when turned on their side, look like a stack of Oreos.

The agency, VMLY&R Commerce, New York, built a mobile website which enabled US customers to scan barcodes on milk cartons and unlock discounts. The brand partnered with three major US retailers, Albertsons, Safeway and Jewel-Osco, for shoppers to cash in on the offers, which could be redeemed by scanning over 1,000 milk products (including milk alternatives like soy, almond and oat milk). People just had to grab any milk carton (at home or in-store), flip it, scan the Oreo-looking barcode, and receive a coupon to save on Oreo cookies.

The promotion was publicised through influencer partnerships, social ads and digital out of home.

Body image for Oreocodes

Nick Henault, marketing director at Oreo, said in a statement: ‘As milk’s favourite cookie, we are always looking for new ways to drive purchase and consumption of Oreo Cookies. Oreo Codes is a wonderful expression of the playfulness that is the Oreo brand, and a prime opportunity to find new ways to engage with our audience.’

Body image for Oreocodes

Results / According to the agency, the brand experienced an increase in social engagement of 230%, a voucher redemption rate of 83%, and a sales increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year. The brand also reported that all key metrics saw growth – product trips (1.9+), unit sales (799k+) and sales ($3.5m+).

The campaign also won Gold in the Creative Commerce and Direct categories at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2023.

Contagious Insight 

Consumption occasion / Oreo had a specific brand challenge: declining sales. According to the case study, not only were sales for Oreos declining, but customers were buying fewer cookies in general. Milk sales, however, were remaining consistent. If milk was already likely to be present in shopping carts, why not latch on to an existing connection between the two? This campaign didn’t need to invent a new consumption occasion – the brand has been using the slogan ‘Milk’s favourite cookie’ since 2004 – rather it just had to reignite the association and encourage consumers to rediscover a ritual they might have enjoyed in the past but have since forgotten.

It all stacks up / In How Brands Grow, Byron Sharp and Jenni Romaniuk emphasise the importance of having distinctive brand assets to create brand awareness. According to them, it’s not meaningful differentiation from other products that matters for sales but whether or not the product will be in the customer’s mind in the grocery aisle. One way to do that is by leaning on visual cues. This campaign packs a double whammy of brand asset spotlighting. The first of these is, as previously mentioned, reinforcing the product’s connection with a different grocery staple. The other is the look of a stack of Oreos. The campaign may not have created an indelible link between barcodes and Oreos in consumers’ minds, but reminding them of Oreo’s black-and-white shape contributes to brand fame. Another campaign that managed to produce something creative out of brand assets is Guinness’s 2021 campaign Welcome Back. The brand aimed to connect anticipation for the reopening of pubs with the brand by encouraging people to see their 1/4 white, 3/4 black pint in surprising places.

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