Oreo image goes viral, offering lessons in branding

To mark its 100th anniversary, Oreo is posting an image a day for 100 days. A recent picture marking the Mars Rover landing achieved viral gold. Here are the takeaways.

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This is no ordinary cookie. It’s red and has a pair of tire tracks running through the delicious cream filling. Oreo and its ad agency created the image to commemorate the historic Mars Rover landing.

If social media users could do more than “like” it—if they could love it—they probably would. Not only has the image garnered thousands of shares, but it has also attracted attention from media outlets as varied as Mashable and the Baltimore Sun.

PR and marketing professionals think it’s a brilliant extension of the brand.

“The Rover [image] was absolutely awesome—a home run,” says Jason Mollica, president of JRMComm, a social media, PR, and marketing consultancy. “For a brand, you can’t ask for any better. If I’m a PR person, I’m looking at how my brand can mirror that.”

Brands can steal a page from Oreo’s book.

Tapping the Zeitgeist

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