A Sweet Leap for Mankind: Discover how this cookie brand’s viral campaign BUZZED everyone!

Thursday: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing

From the desk of Miles Everson: Hello! Have you heard of guerrilla marketing? If not, allow me to explain: Guerrilla marketing is a creative and unconventional strategy that shakes up traditional marketing methods. According to Jay Conrad Levinson, it’s a simple and fun strategy that is more often than not, inexpensive. Personally, I’m a big fan of guerrilla marketing because it sparks creativity and offers fresh ideas for promoting products or services. I believe business owners or marketers should consider this strategy to level up their marketing game. Curious about how guerrilla marketing works? Buckle up and discover how this cookie brand took a giant, SWEET leap to spark delight not just on Earth, but also across the galaxy! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

A Sweet Leap for Mankind: Discover how this cookie brand’s viral campaign BUZZED everyone! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Superman? No, it’s an unidentified flying object (UFO)! For years, whispers of aliens and UFOs have tickled the imagination of the public. Many people, including scholars, conspiracy theorists, and space enjoyers had been conspiring and wondering about the existence of these creatures. So, when the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence announced plans to reveal groundbreaking information about UFOs on June 27, 2021, it buzzed the entire world. That’s why early that month, OREO decided to get ahead of this intergalactic declassification with a warm welcome: To offer its cookies as a sign of peace and unity to any extraterrestrials out there. The beloved sandwich cookie brand partnered with marketing agency the community to make peace with aliens through the campaign called… The “Oreo Offering!” The “Oreo Offering” began on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2021, when OREO asked its fans in a poll which cookie to share with aliens. Guess what cookie flavor won in the poll? It’s none other than the ultimate pairing of Double Stuf cookies and whole milk! The excitement didn’t end there… OREO went all out with its offering by hiring a crop circle artist and consulting UFO experts to create a signal visible from space. After making the signal, OREO set up the fan favorite cookies and milk in the three-acre crop circle along the Paranormal Highway in Kansas, inviting extraterrestrial creatures to enjoy Earth’s fan-favorite snack. The brand also posted a video on YouTube and other social media platforms that explained all of the details of the offering. After setting up the offering, OREO released 3,000 limited-edition packs of the cookies on June 3, 2021. These limited-edition cookies were sold on OREO’s website. The pack was designed so fans could also enjoy the cookies and make their own offerings at home, in case extraterrestrial neighbors offered them a visit. Cool, right? So, what would you do if you were to make your own offering? Would you share Double Stuf Oreo cookies with the aliens too or something else? The possibilities for offerings are endless! According to Olympia Portale, senior brand manager at Orea Equity: “Whether you are a UFO believer or not, it is undeniable that a special connection forms over earth’s No. 1 cookie and a glass of milk! With The Oreo Offering, we are ready to greet any lifeforms that might be out there. We’ve also created specially designed packs of Oreo cookies so our earthling fans can extend the olive branch to extraterrestrials at home too.” Was OREO’s “The Oreo Offering” campaign effective? Without a doubt, OREO’s intergalactic offering was a hit. In fact, OREO sold the 3,000 limited-edition packs of its cookies in just 3 hours! Here are the other results the campaign: The campaign garnered over 1 billion media impressions on various social media platforms. The campaign’s film gained 2.4 million video views on YouTube. The campaign had 413 media placements on publishers such as Popsugar, Adweek, Fast Company, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, Trendhunters, delish, Newsweek, mashed, People, Elite Daily, and Ad Age. The campaign also won Merit Honor under the Advertising category at the 2022 ADC Awards. These results show that using out-of-this-world marketing strategies can drive a brand to success! *Claps* Today’s guerrilla marketing feature shows it’s important to ride the wave of consumer interest with creativity. Like what OREO did, try to align your product or brand with a trending topic, so you can pique people’s interest and imagination. Also, do not forget to think outside the box! As American astronaut and engineer Mae Jemison said: “In the vastness of space, the only limit is our imagination.” Think of anything FUN to promote your brand even with or without aliens. Just make sure to connect with your audience’s feelings and interests to boost engagement rates and make your brand unforgettable! Are you ready to take your own SWEET leap towards success? EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. 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Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing! Do you want to know how this Austrian city rallied against censorship to promote its artists’ artworks? See it in next week’s article!