Oreo, despite being a globally recognized and playful brand, faced challenges converting high awareness into purchases, struggling with perceptions of taste, value for money, and personal relevance. Its core consumers (kids and young adults) were not the primary shoppers, making emotional engagement with both Gen Z and Millennials crucial. To reignite brand love, drive consideration, and generate incremental sales of the original Oreo Vanilla, Oreo aimed to leverage gaming, a key passion point for its target audience (Millennials and Gen Z, who are 1.36x more likely to be interested in gaming). The specific goal was to promote the Oreo x Pac-Man collaboration in a bold, attention-grabbing, and unforgettable way that had never been done before, utilizing an immersive experience to stand out and generate widespread buzz.
The “Oreo x Pac-Man” campaign involved a collaboration between the two iconic brands, featuring a playable, Oreo-themed Pac-Man game accessible via QR codes on Limited Edition Oreo packaging. These special packages included exclusive, Pac-Man-inspired mazes on the cookies themselves. Players could win exclusive prizes, including an “Oreo x Pac-Man Arcade Box,” by placing high on the leaderboard, reinforcing the message of “playfulness inside us.” To amplify this, Oreo launched an unprecedented out-of-home (OOH) activation by transforming Belgium’s most iconic buildings, such as Het MAS and De Boerentoren in Antwerp, into massive, fully playable Pac-Man arenas. Using high-resolution projectors and mapping software, these facades became interactive games where passers-by could control Pac-Man with a simple controller, turning the city itself into a gaming canvas. Het MAS was specifically chosen for its visibility and location within a vibrant, youth-centric neighborhood.
This campaign is considered a best practice because it successfully executed something truly unprecedented, generating immense excitement and breaking all previous sales records for Oreo Belgium. The “city-scale gaming” activation created an unmissable and unforgettable experience, sparking conversations and widespread buzz. The results were outstanding: 70 million impressions, a 178% increase in volume sales and 151% increase in value sales, making it the most successful Oreo activation in Belgium year-to-date. The ROI doubled to a record 7.5, and the campaign exceeded its target of unique game players, reaching 27.3K. As stated by Menqi Wen, Brand Manager Oreo BENL, the campaign successfully cracked the challenge of exciting consumers through an “agile, fast yet constructive approach,” combining the first-ever playable biscuits beaming stunt with iconic landmarks to create a truly impactful and record-breaking activation.
