The adventures of Oreo

Oreo, Continental Biscuits Limited’s (CBL) flagship brand, launched a digital marketing campaign called ‘Oreo Storeo’ in September, with the aim to create brand recall and increase consumption of the product.

Biscuits are an everyday, affordable treat for Pakistanis, especially during hi-tea and small get-togethers. According to Gallup Pakistan, 62% Pakistanis buy branded biscuits and 31%, open bakery biscuits. The branded biscuit category primarily consists of plain, ingredient-based and cream-filled sandwiches; Oreo falls into the latter category. English Biscuit Manufacturers’ Rio dominates the sandwich category at 40%, followed by CBL (Prince and Oreo) at 30%, and Bisconni (Rite) at 16%.

Consumers see Oreo as more than a biscuit; it is perceived as a fun snack by children and a family snack by mothers. According to Sabir Godil, Group Brand Manager, CBL, “the brand provides a distinct experience, which consumers then like to share with their loved ones.”

According to a market survey undertaken by CBL, parents usually put healthy snacks, such as sandwiches, in the lunchbox and then include a treat – and in this case, 45% of them include biscuits and 25%, chips. Godil says the consumption of Oreo is the highest when it comes to biscuits.

Oreo launched their recent campaign because tea consumption increases during winter and with it, the demand of biscuits.

Launched on Oreo’s Facebook page, ‘Oreo Storeo’ is a five-part series, blending 3D animation with shots of real people. The series starts by featuring a boy getting ready for school; he is about to put a pack of Oreo in his lunchbox, but is distracted and ends up forgetting to do so. The ensuing four episodes show four animated characters working together to ensure that the forgotten pack of Oreo finds its way back into the boy’s lunchbox.

Explaining the insight behind the concept, Godil says that the favourite part of the day for any child at school is break-time. “The idea is to underline the importance of Oreo in children’s daily lives, especially at school.”

According to a market survey undertaken by CBL, parents usually put healthy snacks, such as sandwiches, in the lunchbox and then include a treat – and in this case, 45% of them include biscuits and 25%, chips. Godil says the consumption of Oreo is the highest when it comes to biscuits.

Speaking about the decision to focus on digital, Faizan S. Syed, Founder and CEO, East River (Oreo’s digital agency), says “the increase in the use of smartphones has changed content consumption trends, especially in the urban demographic. In such circumstances, digital cannot be an afterthought for a brand targeting children aged six to 14, especially in an impulse category.”

Oreo’s digital video was shot in Karachi. It was directed by Shahbaz Sumar, Basement Films, and the production house was responsible for the live-action shots of the boy and his mother. Godil says it was a challenge to figure out how to accommodate multiple Oreo animated characters in one frame; even more challenging was seamlessly matching the live-action shots with the 3D animations (created and integrated into the video by Ice Animation).

The five-episode animated series has received more than 10 million views and 135,000 post engagements.

Although the campaign was digital-only, a few on-ground activities and in-store displays were included; the latter at major malls in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Lunchboxes were launched with Oreo characters printed on them in various retail outlets across the three cities. Furthermore, the packaging was done to incorporate the four Oreo animated characters.

According to Godil, the response was very positive and so far the five-episode animated series has received more than 10 million views and 135,000 post engagements. In addition to this, celebrities, such as Nadia Hussain and Sunita Marshall, have also shared the digital series on their Facebook pages. The positive response prompted Oreo to air the five-part series on SEE TV and on kids’ TV channels, including Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon in October.

Given the success of the first season, the brand has decided to launch the second season next year featuring the same characters.