As all eyes in the advertising world turn to the Super Bowl, it's worth remembering that the most interesting "ad" from last year's game didn't appear on television. Rather, the entire marketing industry wound up captivated by a single tweet from @oreo.
That tweet, sent after a power failure cast New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome into darkness. set a new standard for real-time communications by a brand.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
As it turns out, Mondelez International, owner of the Oreo brand, had been working for a year and a half to hone the social-media components of its content-marketing efforts. The brand had built a "war room" of social-media workers capable of rapid, funny responses to what was happening in the Twitterverse.
It was work worth doing. The simple sandwich cookie became the model for all food and beverage companies in social media.
Here are our picks for the brands that live up to the standard set by Oreo's blackout tweet.
1. OREO
On Twitter: @oreo
What, you thought the genius of the SuperBowl tweet was a one-time thing? No way. The dunkable cookie continues to create remarkably on-message, fun, shareable tweets.
Two of our recent favorites are the series of tweets dedicated to those cool-looking, holiday themed cookie balls and the witty and adorable images that comprise the Creme Blot Test.
Hey @BuzzFeedFood, meet the entire family: pic.twitter.com/pIMvIq6hL5
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) January 17, 2014
2. KRAFT
On Twitter: @kraftfoods
We have a theory that the genius of the Oreo blackout tweet had its beginnings long before Mondelez was spun off from Kraft. That's because no other food company has put as much effort into understanding the social-media world.
Kraft's efforts are led by Julie Fleischer, the company's director of media and consumer engagement. And Fleischer has become, quite rightly, a celebrity in the content-marketing world.
In our opinion, no other brand has so perfectly mastered the two primary forms of food tweets: the helpful recipe and the offbeat, shareable, image.
Too good to be called a #meatloaf. Meaty goodness With everyone’s favorite ingredient #BACON. http://t.co/zBLPhY4yXI pic.twitter.com/zBAYkyPjd8
— Kraft Foods (@kraftfoods) January 17, 2014
3. RED BULL
On Twitter: @redbull
Another darling of the content-marketing world is energy drink Red Bull. We are unaware of any other brand in history that has so completely and so successfully linked with a global trend that is the obsession of its target audience.
Red Bull is now synonymous with extreme sports. No one sponsors more unusual events. And the company's social-media content successfully portrays Red Bull as key to enjoying high-risk thrills.
After a bad break, @MaximHabanec is back with a bang: http://t.co/UU7hLHHvKq pic.twitter.com/8m4g7eQBbY
— Red Bull (@redbull) January 21, 2014
Red Bull's Twitter feed is every bit as interesting as its magazine, and nearly as exciting as a downhill, full-contact ice-skating race.
4. SKITTLES
On Twitter: @Skittles
The candy treats have built a marketing message that seems to center on rainbows and weirdness. We have no idea how well that would go down on other platforms, but rainbows and weirdness are the native language of Twitter.
Just pick any recent Skittles tweet and see what we mean. They're all bizarre. Yet they nearly all get retweets. You can't argue with success like that.
This is how footballs get psyched up for the big game. pic.twitter.com/Ps4MaCscI1
— Skittles (@Skittles) January 19, 2014
5. DOS EQUIS
On Twitter: @DosEquis
Speaking of bizarre — and cool and offbeat and shareable and any of the other things that a brand's Twitter account should be — is there anyone who gets social media better than Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World?"
Dos Equis' Twitter stream is full of the hilarious one-liners — including our favorite Christmas Day tweet — from the man so remarkable that 'he can speak French, in Russian."
He can tie a bowtie with one hand. http://t.co/yJ50Yxplnc
— Dos Equis (@DosEquis) January 20, 2014
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