The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Oreo turned its name into a game shoppers play out loud in the aisle
VML made an audio experience where shoppers 'name this Oreo' with their voice, driving a 17.2% lift in unit sales at Kroger.
Oreo (Mondelēz International) · VML
the move
Oreo is a familiar brand in a quiet, routinised aisle, and the challenge was to turn looking into buying.
VML leaned on the product's name, whose O-RE-O structure mirrors the cookie itself, and built an interactive audio experience where shoppers 'name this Oreo' with their own voice at the shelf.
The play turned a passive glance into a performed brand moment and pulled people from the screen to the basket.
The eight-week activation ran during Oreo's key shopping window and turned a brand name into a game people wanted to join.
why it works
- It made a familiar product title feel new by turning it into an action.
- The audio trick used the brand's built-in structure, so it was instantly on-message.
- The game was tied to a real in-store partner, Kroger, so play could convert to purchase.
- It gave people a reason to engage with a brand they already knew but never interacted with.
what transfers
A playable moment beats a message. Give the customer an action that uses the brand's own structure, and the aisle becomes the stage rather than a shelf.
what came after
During the activation, unit sales at Kroger rose 17.2% versus the prior eight-week holiday period, household penetration climbed 6%, and purchase trips rose 9.6%. The Oreo site saw a 68% traffic spike and the campaign reached 350 million people across social channels. It won at The Drum Awards and was recognised at Cannes Lions.
references
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.