Dive Brief:
- In an ongoing social media campaign – complete with its own hashtag #MyOreoCreation – Mondelez is inviting Oreo fans to suggest flavors, which the cookie maker then produces and sends to the creator with a personalized note, according to Adweek.
- The campaign, which runs through July 14, is being used to inform the product development process. The winning cookie to be announced in July will roll into full production and be introduced to retailers next May.
- Some flavor suggestions include beignet, carrot cake, chocolate orange cream, raspberry Danish and summer beach party.
Dive Insight:
Talk about using social media to create buzz around a product. That’s just what Mondelez is doing with its My Oreo Creation campaign. Fans throughout the U.S. are submitting Oreo flavor ideas on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #MyOreoCreation and #Contest. It’s more than just about generating a buzz, however. The campaign is actually a very creative way to build consumer input into the product development process.
The contest runs through mid-July with the winning cookie variety due to hit store shelves in May 2018. Among the many concoctions fans have submitted are avocado, cherry cola, chocolate-covered pretzel, glazed donut, kettle corn, nut n’ honey, and, of course, the Firework Oreo. The cookie maker then produces the flavors in small batches and sends them to the creator, which sustains the buzz.
But personalized products and unique flavor profiles don’t stop with Oreo. In partnership with Milka, the cookie producer has been making chocolate bars in unusual flavors — unicorn, firework and cheesecake. A host of other snack makers also were showcasing their crazy-flavored wares — from Krispy Kreme Jelly Belly candies and Skittles Sweet Heat to cheeseburger-flavored Utz potato chips and pina colada Tic Tacs — at last month’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.
In what seems to have become an annual event, Frito-Lay gathers consumer input through social media as part of its "Do Us a Flavor" campaign where it asks fans to submit ideas for its signature Lay's potato chips brand. Last fall, the company unlocked its “Flavor Vault” and for a limited time reintroduced three former flavors: Lay's Smoked Gouda & Chive, Lay's Chicken & Waffles and Lay's Wavy Truffle Fries.
Clearly progressive companies are moving beyond the use of social media as just a marketing tool and increasingly mining insights and sentiments generated through social media to inform and improve the product development process. Monitoring online content is not only a relatively inexpensive and creative way to generate new ideas and solicit consumer input and feedback, it also can kick-start innovation within a company. If the success that Frito-Lay and Oreo have had is any indication, expect more companies and brands to tap into the power of social media to develop new products and connect with their customers.