Dive Brief:
- Mondelez is going where Oreo-loving consumers may gasp: adding "Oreo Thins" to its product lineup, starting July 13. While the cookies appear traditional, they are thinner, with four cookies totaling 140 calories instead of 160.
- Despite the fact half of consumers split Oreos in half prior to eating, this new product is not designed for optimal twisting or dunking — since it's "for adults." However, it's not intended to be a diet snack.
- The "Thins" will hold the same price as regular Oreos.
Dive Insight:
One way to keep consumers pursuing healthier options in today's healthy-driven market is bringing in a nostalgia factor — like General Mills bringing back French Toast Crunch. Changing the classic Oreo is definitely a deviation from this approach.
Mondelez launched "Oreo Thins" in China last year to aid sales, where it apparently heped bring back "lapsed users" — translating to $40 million in sales the first eight months.
The Associated Press notes its North American cookie business fell in this year's first quarter, so the reasoning here is clear.
But attempting to rid the consumer of a quintissential Oreo tradition could backfire for Mondelez, especially in a country where Oreos and dunking are practically synonymous.