Target Locked: Learn how this brand targeted gamers to promote its new partnership with a gaming GIANT!
For those of you who don’t, guerrilla marketing is an unconventional strategy that is easy to execute, and sometimes, inexpensive. I personally love this strategy because it reminds me that we can never run out of creative ideas to get our target audience hooked. Today, we’ll talk about guerrilla marketing through a concrete example. Keep reading the article below and find out how a particular campaign used “cheats” to unite gamers and snack enthusiasts.
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Target Locked: Learn how this brand targeted gamers to promote its new partnership with a gaming GIANT! “Cheating is bad.” We often hear this during exams or even in relationships. … but what if the concept of “cheating” gets a playful twist that doesn’t do any harm? For example: Built-in cheats in video games. Some games use “cheat codes” that act as easter eggs or clues that, once decoded, can give in-game rewards to players. These are usually hard to decipher, making it tempting and fun for gamers who enjoy challenges. Now, imagine having a real-life cheat code for your favorite games. Exciting, isn’t it? In January 2023, one snack company, in collaboration with advertising network Saatchi & Saatchi, saw the potential of this idea. This brand created a plan to promote its partnership with Xbox and boost cookie sales. The name of this company? Oreo!
Oreo is not new in the field of creative marketing ideas. In fact, it has a history of creating engaging marketing campaigns such as the “twist or dunk” debate and the “#MyOreoCreation.” We also featured Oreo’s “Doomsday Vault” campaign in a past “Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing” article. These past strategies showed Oreo’s marketing genius. Will the brand prove to be the same in this particular campaign? Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you: The “Cheat Cookies”!
At the start of 2023, Oreo joined forces with Xbox to release a limited-edition of its signature sandwich cookie with creamy white chocolate filling. These cookies were only available in 35,000 stores in 22 selected European countries. The limited edition cookies featured embossed patterns of the Xbox logo and the buttons on Xbox controllers. … but wait, there’s more! These weren’t just delicious cookies—they’re also actually cheat codes in a game! Players were able to unlock in-game rewards that were not available through standard play by combining specific patterns of the Oreo “Cheat Cookies.” There’s a twist, though… Players were not just compelled to scan the patterns or make random patterns in the cookies; they had to guess the right pattern as well! This prompted gamers, particularly in Europe, to unite through social media to decode the right “Cheat Cookie” patterns. This gaming moment also created social media buzz. Gamers outside of Europe were frustrated when they took notice of the campaign. They also wanted to get their hands on the “Cheat Cookies” and the rewards. So, how exactly did this reward system work? To unlock the exclusive in-game rewards, players were asked to visit the promotional website, www.oreo.eu. On the website, players were granted permission for their device’s camera to scan the correct “Cheat Cookies” patterns. The website utilized machine learning with an average accuracy of 90%. After a successful scan, players could redeem their rewards via the email associated with their Xbox account. These exclusive in-game rewards were featured in top-played Xbox games such as:
Oreo-themed armor and car skins were some of the prizes given to players who successfully cracked the code during the 4-month duration of the campaign! However, as per the campaign team, there were cases of individuals literally trying to “cheat” by hacking the reward system. Fortunately, their attempts were unsuccessful as the reward system developers changed the right “Cheat Cookie” combinations for the prizes every 20 seconds. Was the “Cheat Cookies” campaign Successful? The campaign took the gaming community by storm! Let’s take a look at these results:
What else? The campaign received recognition from prestigious industry awards:
Kudos, Oreo and Saatchi & Saatchi! This playful collaboration showed that delicious cookies and clever marketing can truly take the gaming world by storm! *Applause* — Oreo’s legacy of creative marketing continues and we can’t help but wait for its next delightful surprise. However, the real winners of this campaign are gamers and the campaign team. Gamers took advantage of the “Cheat Cookies” to gain exclusive rewards. Meanwhile, the campaign team devised a plan that increased engagement and sales, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved. We should also not forget how the campaign generated social media buzz because of scarcity. Gamers from other parts of the world can’t help but feel frustrated because the “Cheat Cookies” were only available in selected European countries. We hope this breakdown of the “Cheat Cookies” campaign gave you a cheat sheet for your future marketing campaigns! Center your campaigns into the interests and passions of your target audience as an innovative way to connect with them. … and most importantly… Reward your audience for being part of your campaign! Use these insights as your blueprint to craft campaigns that spark excitement and win over your audience. EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. The barriers to entry have never been lower for talented professionals to work independently, and today’s massive external workforce is hardly a pandemic-produced fad. Business owners can only survive in the new work landscape by partnering with this deep talent pool. With decades of experience in both small-business entrepreneurship and executive management at PwC, I truly believe that the future of work is independent. With that, I’m happy to share with you that my book, co-authored with Walter Scott Lamb, is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work & The Independent Mind This is an essential read for both independent professionals and corporate executives. Here, we provide educational and practical guides to unpack the ever-growing workforce and offer you crucial ways to become a client of choice. Click on the link above to pre-order your copy. Let this book help you future-proof your career and organization in the new world of work. Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Do you want to know how one cookie brand made one sweet leap for mankind in 2021? See it in next week’s article! |
