Dive Brief:
- Oreo is transforming crosswalks outside of select Kroger locations as part of its efforts with agency partner VML to blend marketing creative with commerce, according to a press release.
- Shoppers who look down at the pavement on their approach to a Kroger will be greeted by illustrated characters munching on Oreos, with the stacked cookies blending into the white stripes of the crosswalk and blacktop pavement.
- The outdoor installations additionally feature a QR code that can be scanned to receive a special in-store offer. The activation designed to drive impulse purchases will appear at Krogers in several Ohio markets.
Dive Insight:
Oreo’s out-of-home crosswalks build on previous marketing ploys that link the snack’s recognizable appearance — white cream filling sandwiched between a pair of black, manhole cover-like cookies — with everyday iconography. Past experiments with VML have riffed on similarities between Oreos and “hamburger” website navigation tools, as well as bar codes for scanning goods at checkout. The Oreo Walks effort brings the concept further into the real world by targeting consumers who are already primed to shop and on their way into Kroger.
The crosswalks intend to reach people who may not have otherwise stopped in the cookie aisle, according to Carly Kerlakian, director of omnichannel activation at Oreo parent Mondelēz. Providing a special offer via a QR code may further encourage conversions, linking the brand-building element of the activation to marketing performance. The Oreo Walks deal is also available via the cookiemaker’s website to visitors who share their name and email address, providing Oreo with more first-party data.
The illustrations featured on the crosswalks are meant to be both minimalist and playful, aligning with a “design evolution” Oreo has undertaken over the past several years, per the press release. Oreo is positioning its approach as eye-catching without being interruptive. The activation is appearing in Ohio markets including Columbus, Cincinnati and Mason.
Oreo and VML earlier this year launched an audio-focused web game that tasked players with sounding out complex combinations of “O” and “RE” within a time limit. Those who successfully completed the tongue twisters received access to special Kroger deals on Oreo.
Oreo attempting to spur more impulse purchases comes as consumer sentiment remains low in the U.S. and more households cut back on discretionary spending. Mondelez’s net revenue in North America dropped 3.5% year over year in Q2, with executives indicating that consumers will feel the fuller effect of tariffs in the year’s second half.
“[As] it relates to biscuits, particularly in the U.S., we see a very anxious and weak consumer situation,” said Mondelez CEO Dirk Van de Putz on a July earnings call discussing the Q2 results. “I’m not expecting that that immediately will be better next year. So I’m expecting that we will have to increase our investment in our brands also in North America next year.”
