The Indian cricket fan community was at an all time low because India had not won the world cup in 11 long years. With #BringBack2011, Oreo set out to make 1 billion Indians believe they can play their part in ensuring India brings home the 2022 Cricket World Cup. But how could a foreign biscuit brand do this? That too without being a sponsor of the World Cup. The use of PR collaborations and techniques helped us put this message out to 1 billion people, all ardent cricket fans. More specifically, ardent superstitious cricket fans.

Oreo was launched in India in 2011. Our competitors were decades old & whose identifiers, rituals & memories were seeped into the Indian cultural context, occasions & memories. Oreo was a foreigner with no real place in Indian culture.

OBJECTIVE:

• Find a place for Oreo in Indian popular culture, to increase brand affinity and therefore regular usage and sales. And that quickest and easiest way to do it was delve into cricket and forge a connection with the sport.

• Since launch, Oreo India had singularly focused on parent-child connections. We wanted to expand beyond our “childish brand” perception. And bring teens and young adults into the brand’s fold.

In 2022, pressures were high because India hadn’t won the World Cup in 11 years. Oreo’s global motto is to bring people together by sparking playful connections. We asked ourselves, what could we do? And just like that, we saw a playful connection!

The last time India won the World Cup was in 2011 i.e. the same year Oreo was launched in India. Oreo was launched in 2011. India won the world cup in 2011. Serendipity? We thought different! If Oreo could launch again in 2022. India could win the World Cup again in 2022.

BIG IDEA

#BRINGBACK2011: RALLYING 1Bn INDIANS TO BELIEVE THAT IF THEY PARNTER WITH OREO TO BRING BACK 2011, THEN INDIA CAN WIN THE WORLD CUP, AGAIN.

Target Audience: Cricket is a religion in India – our Super Bowl. 90% of cricket’s 1Bn global fans are Indians. Hence, we expanded our TG from families with kids to everyone who watches Cricket.

Insight: We found that cricket fans are superstitious & would go lengths to help India win. 1 person claimed he skips watching the first delivery in every match because then India wins. Another always wear yellow. Given that the Indian team hadn’t brought home a world cup in 11 years, fan were desperate to see a win.

Strategic Unlock: We realize that it needed little to ignite the superstitions. Could Oreo use its playful tonality to be a part of that?

1. LENDING CREDIBILITY: A spokesperson to champion our belief & whom better than the 2011 World Cup captain, M.S Dhoni?

2. A LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE: At the time, media were ablaze with speculation around the Retirement of M.S Dhoni. We set fire to this, by announcing a live press conference with Dhoni, without any mention of Oreo; via YouTube Premiere.

3. GETTING INDIA TO BELIEVE: To rally cricket fans further, we launched other #BringBack2011 assets with influencers. We even had Dhoni drop a video of him bringing back his iconic hair cut from 2011.

4. RIDING OFF “CULTURE”: But the media landscape, to no surprise, is too cluttered to get the message across. And hence we partnered with those loyalists who reacted to our call out. Right from vendors on fashion street to barbers in Ghaziabad – all cricket fans with more grass root influence than any other platform

OREO MADE ITS WAY FROM A BISCUIT TO A POP CULTURE ICON

With haircuts, tattoos, book launches, movies, jerseys & more, India responded!

• 15 ex & current cricketers from the national Indian cricket team joined in and brought back 2011

• One of India’s oldest (179 years) & largest newspaper (13Mn circulation), Times of India, reprinted its 2011 front page cover in support.

• An iconic Bollywood movie was rereleased

• A key influencer in the cricketing fraternity relaunched his book

• A famous beer franchise reserved a 2011 brew.

Campaign Results

• $3Mn Earned PR value

• Dhoni’s Press Conference garnered >6Mn View in less than 24hour

• Nearly 3Bn impressions overall

And we did good business too!

Brand Results

• Metrics on ‘Buy Regular’ grew by 8 PPTs, highest ever for Oreo India

Business Results

• HHP penetration grew by a record 12 PPTs. Highest ever for Oreo India

• Sales Value grew by 22%, 12% more than the set target for that quarter

We found that cricket fans are superstitious & would go lengths to help India win. 1 person claimed he skips watching the first delivery in every match because then India wins. Another always wear yellow. Given that the Indian team hadn’t brought home a world cup in 11 years, fan were desperate to see a win.