OREO x Star Wars
"How can We authentically launch a partnership to a diehard & loyal fanbase"
OUR SOLUTION // Don’t give them yet another Star Wars partnership — give them new Star Wars lore
CASE STUDY VIDEO
BACKGROUND
In an effort to maintain its reputation amongst millennial families as a modern and playful icon, OREO set out to gain cultural relevance by partnering with the beloved Star Wars franchise to launch a limited edition OREO x Star Wars pack.
Star Wars fans are the most loyal, lore-obsessed, purist fandom on the planet, representing almost 1 in 3 internet users. But they’ve been there and seen that when it comes to Star Wars partnerships so we knew launching alone wouldn’t be enough to get their attention.
So instead of launching a partnership we gave them more storytelling.
THE IDEA:‘THE OREO EMPIRE’
‘Star Wars creators loved OREO so much, they secretly placed them all throughout the movie…’
To win fans over we knew OREO needed to go far, far away and beyond a co-branded product and find a way to become part of the Star Wars galaxy, something Lucasfilm’s has famously never allowed. And will never let happen.
But, actually, OREO has been in Star Wars movies. In all of them. Seriously. The Millennium Falcon? Look at it, it’s an OREO! The Galactic Senate? Basically an entire chamber full of OREO cookies. Why does R2D2 have not one but two, built-in OREO cookie holders? Once you see one, you’ll never be able to unsee OREO cookies... Everywhere!
So, instead of a traditional partnership, we launched a conspiracy theory that would get the whole world to see OREO cookies every time they saw Star Wars.
With Star Wars fans being around 40% more likely than average Internet users to share their opinions online and 32% more likely to tweet or retweet a celebrity, we knew our theory would spread at hyperdrive speeds— inviting every Star Wars fan to be part of this highly controversial and playful conversation.
Plotting A successFUL LAUNCH…
Taking inspiration from some of the most infamous cultural conspiracies we knew a few things to be true:
Content needed to look organic & fan-driven
We needed to engage non-believers as much as believers to add fuel to our conspiracy
We wanted people to believe the theory while also poking fun at conspiracy theories in a self-aware & playful OREO way
Tumblr acted as the hub for our conspiracy, giving people a rabbit hole of content to explore and interact with…
Why Tumblr?
FANDOM-CENTRIC — Star Wars™ represents Tumblr’s #16 most active fandom of 2023
GEN Z AUDIENCE — According to Tumblr Advertising, 61% of new users and 48% of active users are Gen Z
INTERACTIVE & LOW-FI — It’s known for it’s UGC-like vibe that lets fans give their own tips and create their own content to contribute to the theory
On May 4th Josh Gad helped us seed the theory, offering reach and credibility within Star Wars circles…
Within 24 hours the partnership garnered 1 million impressions and engagements.
Fans had a field day debating & offering their own twists to the theory:
So much so, even Mark Hamill (aka Luke Skywalker) himself took part…
By the end, one thing was clear: fans would never watch Star Wars again without thinking about OREO
THE RESULTS:
Our overall objective was to engage a new fandom while surpassing the performance of previous limited-edition partnerships, which we did with record results:
BEST SELLING OREO OF ALL TIME
25% increase in cookie sales
Most effective OREO pre-sale in history
7.3+ Billion earned media impressions
1,370 earned media placements
14.5+ Million social engagements
314% increase in organic shares
127k total Influencer engagements
AWARDS
Cannes Lions, Bronze — OREO Empire // Brand Integration, Entertainment
Cannes Lions, Bronze — OREO Empire // Brand Storytelling, Social & Creator
Cannes Lions, Shortlist — OREO Empire // Use of Social Platforms, Media
Clio Awards, Silver — OREO Empire // Paid Social Media Post
Clio Awards, Shortlist — OREO Empire // Use of Talent & Influencers
Clio Awards, Shortlist — OREO Empire // Social Video
One Show, Merit — OREO Empire // Social Media, Stunts & Activations
One Show, Merit — OREO Empire // Social Media, Influencer Marketing, Use of Celebrity
One Show, Merit — OREO Empire // Social Media, Brand Partnerships