There’s a delightful quality to everything Oreo posts on social media. From the Super Bowl blackout to Father’s Day, Oreo creates content that seamlessly weaves in current events without ever seeming obnoxious or sales-y.
The photo they uploaded minutes after the Royal Baby’s sex was announced once again shows that Oreo’s a band who truly gets how to engage through social media marketing. Oreo is all about having milk and cookies. Therefore, placing milk, which is central to their creative, in a baby bottle in honour of the royal family isn’t a stretch. Instead, it’s cute and adds to the loveable quality of the brand and product that makes Oreo cookies a classic snack and childhood favourite.
On the other hand, Oreo knew months in advance about this historical event. Whereas their Super Bowl tweet was a strategic and spontaneous team effort, they had a long time to plan this one and merely waited for the official announcement from Clarence House to hit publish.
Though many Twitter users who were eagerly engaging with the trending topic appreciated Oreo’s clever tweet, The Atlantic’s Rebecca Greenfield points out that several marketing journalists were unimpressed. Personally, I liked Oreo’s tweet, but Greenfield astutely points out how expectations of of online marketing quickly change. “On the Internet, originality counts, memes retire fast. With each iteration the bar for execution get higher,” writes Greenwood.
Looking at the best and worst lists of brands who tried to leverage the Royal Baby frenzy, it’s easy to spot which brands are leaders online versus brands who are simply newsjacking, without offering an entertainment value. I’d like to see Oreo’s team continue to share creative content that stays on brand, without pushing the limit on which news stories are appropriate for them to engage with.
How do you feel about newsjacking on social media?