Oreo has been a champion of LGBTQ rights, but at a time when so many brands’ support is surface level sponsorships, we wanted to show we truly could make a positive impact on the world, fueled by our beliefs.

We started with our brand belief: Oreo believes that playfulness nurtures lifelong bonds. Nothing is more powerful than the parent-child bond. But when a child comes out, that bond can be damaged or even broken. LGBTQ+ young people cite family acceptance as the most pressing problem they face. Parents of LGBTQ+ say that they still struggle with news even up to 2 years after their child comes out. Yet time and time again, research tells us that family support is what makes the difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ and their families.

Our objective was clear: Make a positive impact on the bond between LGBTQ youth and their parents.

OREO has long been a champion of LGBTQ rights, but at a time when so many brands’ support is surface level sponsorships, we wanted to show we truly understood the community and make a positive impact on the world. OREO believes that playfulness nurtures lifelong bonds. Nothing is more powerful than the bond between parent and child. But when a child comes out, that bond can be damaged or even broken. LGBTQ+ young people cite family acceptance as the most pressing problem they face. Parents of LGBTQ+ say that they still struggle with news even up to two years after their child comes out. Yet time and time again, research tells us that family support is what makes the difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ and their families. Our challenge was clear: Make a positive impact on the bond between LGBTQ youth and their parents. With this campaign, we ultimately wanted to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ young people and their families. However, we did not limit our target audience to this group exclusively. OREO is a brand for everyone, and we believed that this was a cause our entire fanbase should support.

Our idea was to empower parents to come out in full support of their LGBTQ children. Proud Parent is a campaign and platform created by OREO celebrating proud families, fostering inclusivity, and championing the idea that a loving world starts with a loving home. In partnership with PFLAG – the nation’s oldest and largest ally organization – OREO is telling stories about the importance of family and allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. Beyond making a positive impact with our creative, we also wanted to create positive change within the industry. Every part of this campaign included members of the LGBTQ+ community, from the agency, to our crew, and to our talent, including a real-life couple -- the film's leads.

When a child steps out of the closet, they often leave their parents inside one. While pop culture often celebrates the coming out “moment,” in reality, LGBTQ+ people have to come out every day. To every new person they meet. Every time they start a job. At every party they go to. At the same time, parents of LGBTQ+ children are often hesitant to be public about their child’s identity, causing friction between parents and children. A 2015 study showed that family acceptance was the strongest influence on positive life outcomes and self-esteem for LGBTQ+ individuals. This simple tension is at the core of our campaign: if we can make parents see the closet that they’re in and help them step out of it, we can create a more loving and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people.

We designed the campaign around 3 communication pillars for change.

1. Trigger the Heart: Emotionally connect audiences to the topic

The anchor piece of creative is Proud Parent, a film that tells a story of love, family ties, and authenticity. The film launched on Twitter on October 9, the same weekend as National Coming Out Day. The film was created in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ community, including casting a real couple as the lead actors, and in the hiring of our Director of Photography, transgender cinematographer Bianca Cline.

2. Inform the Head: Help people be better allies. We partnered with PFLAG to create social media content and a companion resource hub for allies of LGBTQ+ individuals.

3. Encourage the Action: Get people to be public with their support.

We released special rainbow OREO cookies that could only be won by acting and demonstrating their allyship on social media.

Within the first day of launching, OREO’s Proud Parent platform took over the internet and dominated social conversations, with #ProudParent trending on Twitter and thousands of people joining the promotion to receive the limited-edition cookies by sharing their personal messages of allyship. The platform earned more than 400 press placements in a matter of days, including coverage in CNN, USA Today, Forbes, FOX Business and numerous broadcast outlets. The video received over 35 million views and was shared all over the world. Our Proud Parent website was flooded by visits from over 300,000 people, providing resources and guidance to families looking to support their LGBTQ+ loved ones. And when an anti-LGBTQ hate group protested this campaign, one parent wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in support of Oreo and LGBTQ+ youth, inspiring a new wave of public support.