The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2022
Oreo rode cricket superstition to relaunch its 2011 recipe and grew India sales 46%
During the 2022 Cricket World Cup, Oreo asked India to 'bring back 2011' — the year India won and Oreo arrived.
Oreo (Mondelez International)
the move
In India, Oreo was seen as a children's treat, so the brand needed to reach households with teenagers or no children to grow. The 2022 Cricket World Cup offered the occasion, and cricket superstition supplied the insight: fans repeat actions they believe help India win — and India's last World Cup win was 2011, the same year Oreo launched in India.
The campaign, 'Bring Back 2011', relaunched the original 2011 Oreo and called on the nation to help recreate that year. A star cricketer launched it live on YouTube, and the brand used video and social media to invite fans to recreate 2011 hairstyles and fashions; even other brands brought back products from 2011.
Wavemaker, the media agency, partnered with the World Cup's exclusive streaming platform Hotstar to extend reach into the millions. Oreo organically trended on Twitter during matches, earned 247 organic news references and generated 19.5 million social media engagements — four times more than anticipated.
The nostalgia play moved the business: household penetration grew 9.9%, sales increased 46%, and 20% of purchases came from first-time buyers, according to the WARC case study. Wavemaker reports sales growth ran at twice the predicted level, and the campaign won Silver at the Cannes Lions Creative Strategy awards.
why it works
- Cricket superstition gave the campaign a belief to tap into, not just a message.
- The 2011 relaunch made the product itself part of the nostalgic story.
- A star cricketer and Hotstar gave it reach beyond brand fans.
- User recreations made the campaign participatory and self-spreading.
what transfers
When a brand is pigeonholed to one audience, anchor the campaign in a shared cultural moment that predates the pigeonhole: nostalgia turns a relaunch into a national event instead of a product push.
what came after
WARC published the case as an effectiveness benchmark: household penetration up 9.9%, sales up 46%, and one in five purchases from new buyers. The campaign won Silver at Cannes Lions Creative Strategy and earned organic trending during matches, establishing Oreo as a brand that could talk to adult India, not just children.
references
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