When it comes to push marketing, Oreo's website crumbles

When it comes to push marketing on Oreo's website, the popular cookie seems to crumble. There are no popups, chat windows or signups to receive email. There are widgets on the website that allow you to like the brand on Facebook and follow them on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Google+. These links do push consumers toward the brand. Oreo marketers may not focus their efforts on push marketing on the cookie's website, because Oreo is already America's favorite cookie, and the top sold cookie in the United States. Tanya Robertson says that once a brand has established itself, it no longer needs to focus on push marketing because consumers are already aware the product exists.

Offsite, Oreo utilizes push marketing through its social media accounts, print advertisements, television commercials and grocery store displays. Oreo posts comical and relevant advertisements on its Facebook page and Twitter feed that push customers to remember, and ultimately buy, the brand. Several days ago Oreo posted an advertisement on Facebook and Twitter of a cookie with dark cream in the middle. (Right) The caption read, "Why all black? Because all white was sooooooo last week. #FashionWeek." Oreo used the posts to push the product at consumers, which Robertson says is key in push marketing.

Oreo uses push marketing to spread awareness of the brand, and more specifically the Wonderfilled campaign, through YouTube, print advertisements and television commercials. According to Janda Lukin, director for Oreo, The Wonderfilled campaign centers around how something as mundane as sharing an Oreo, could positively effect the world. The brand uses celebrity singers like Kasey Musgraves and Adam Young (of Owl City) on its YouTube channel and television commercials. The celebrity endorsements of the cookies are an effective way to push the brand in front of more consumers, because consumers are drawn to and trust celebrities.

Oreo does a much better job of pull marketing on its website and through its social media. During this week's lecture, we learned that pull marketing takes place when consumers engage with a brand, as opposed to a brand pushing their products onto the consumer. As part of Oreo's Wonderfilled campaign, consumers can upload and share their Oreo-related photos and videos. Those images and videos can then be shared on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. People who see their friends posting the videos and photos on social media may want to post a picture of their grandparent or child eating Oreos, which drives them to Oreo's website. Below is a video that was shared on Oreo's website.

We also learned in this week's lecture that pull marketing focuses on answering consumer's questions. For consumers wondering where they can find a certain Oreo recipe, they have to look no further than the cookie's website. From parfaits to cheesecakes, Oreo's website offers a magnitude of recipes that would make any dessert lover's mouth water. The brand pulls customers in by offering content that they're searching for.

Dave Birckhead says that social media is driving an increase in pull media, and more consumers want to engage with companies that are posting relevant content. Oreo does a good job of pulling consumers in by posting relevant and comical posts on social media. The brand caters to whatever is going on in the world, but they relate it back to the product. Oreo relates their posts to Fashion Week, Labor Day and the Super Bowl. As stated in my previous post, their tweet from the Super Bowl about dunking in the dark was one of the most successful ads. Recently the brand tweeted, "We've got 7 years to figure out how to say Dunk in Japanese. #Tokyo," in response to the Olympics announcement. (Below) It's this type of content that will pull consumers to the brand.

                           

As shown with the example above, Oreo does a good job of updating their social media accounts to keep them relevant. They update their Twitter feed, Facebook page and Instagram account almost daily.  Compared to the brand's social media accounts, Oreo's webpage is a little stale. In the week that I have been monitoring Oreo's website, nothing has been changed, added or updated, besides their social media feed. 

Oreo's website is mobile friendly, but there are several aspects of IMC and branding that the site could improve on. If I were Oreo's website designer I would consider creating a blog and attaching it to the website. A blog will allow the brand to have the relevant content that people crave, and it will help the brand establish a human tone to garner consumers' trust. The blog could focus on what Oreo is doing in the communities, it could feature new products and it could highlight Oreo-related stories from the brand's loyal followers. If you added a blog and a place to sign up for an RSS feed, Oreo's website would be as addictive as its cookies!