Oreo's Real-Time Ad Victory

The Harbaugh brothers weren’t the only ones game planning during last night’s Super Bowl.

At an event where companies spend millions on adverstising, Oreo’s ad agency, 360i, scored a marketing touchdown for much, much less money.

While you were re-upping on chicken wings during the blackout, Oreo blasted out a clever tweet:

Power out? No problem. ‪pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

Timely, funny and memorable, the ad reminded viewers “you can still dunk in the dark” and swept across the Twittersphere like a sun flare. It was retweeted over 15,000 times and people are still talking about it today.

If such a thing existed, the team at 360i would have received the game’s Advertising MVP award. The only flaw I see is not using the #SuperBowl hashtag, which would have boosted its inital audience. 

So how did a 100-year-old cookie company create the most innovative marketing feat of the Super Bowl?

360i’s president, Sarah Hofstetter, told BuzzFeed that, along with Oreo’s brand team, they had a mission control set up at their office during the game in case an advertising opportunity arose. When the blackout happened, they capitalized.

Without question, other companies should and will start implementing this type of strategy. Done smartly, social marketing and news-jacking creates an experience that all the money in the world can’t buy: a personal connection.