Designing a campaign was always going to be a challenge during lockdown. But, having started work with OREO back in February, we knew it was important for the brand to keep active so as not to lose relevance for its UK audience.

Early on, during the spring lockdown, Digitas helped OREO to deliver a social campaign entitled The OREO Playbook. Targeting predominantly millennial parents, this featured a range of activities to do at home, in lockdown, with friends, family, and of course, your cookies. Continuing this successful strategy, but with the aim of keeping it fresh and relevant, we launched the latest iteration of the campaign at the end of September. With fears of a second lockdown, behavioural disruption and the profound economic impact of the crisis each increasing in importance at particular times, there was no doubt that designing this campaign in the midst of such a fluid situation was going to be challenging.

The importance of emotional marketing

We were seeing some restrictions being lifted as we devised the second stage of the campaign, and the beginnings of more positivity, but we foresaw an autumn like the one we’re having now, and this forms the context of this latest digital, integrated campaign which features video on demand, digital display, social and PR. It was impossible to predict exactly what would happen in the months ahead, but in the creative we set out to major on playful connections, which forms the core of OREO’s brand purpose.

We wanted to do this in a way that didn’t feel forced, nor worthy, however. The playfulness, the idea of creating connections, needed to cut through but in a way that was sympathetic and authentic, too. We aimed to show that even when COVID-19 is dominating the agenda, there is still room to relax and have fun. The campaign is about building human connections through warmth, playfulness and fun. It helped to underscore for us as a team, the fact that emotional marketing at times like this is more important than ever before.

We took a playful and tongue-in-cheek look at the sometimes-hyperbolic product and performance boasts in telco advertising in particular. The launch of theplayfulnetwork.com, a landing page showcasing OREO’s ‘connection devices’, and which many other elements of the campaign ultimately feed into, also involved a competition to win £1,000 worth of experience vouchers to enjoy with your nearest and dearest, and product giveaways, in personalised packs.

Technologically enabled human connection

The copywriting played on the expected campaign language from technology brands, but with a twist, with phrases such as, ‘unused bites roll-over’ and ‘free replacement service’; if you break your OREO there are 13 more in the pack. It was about removing OREO as a brand from more predictable COVID communications, within such a cluttered space. Ultimately, the integrated digital campaign shows that humans have the power to create the strongest connections themselves, via meaningful time spent together.

But the brand is not positioning itself as an enemy of tech; rather it is showing that technology can be a means towards more meaningful, human-to-human connections. Overall, too the work was designed to leverage Brits’ unique sense of humour. It showcased alternative ways to stay close and to make difficult experiences something we can live through, together, from playing draughts with OREOs, to baking with them. There are always lessons to learn from huge experiences like this and with this campaign, we sought to show that playfulness should not be seen as a last resort when things get messy but as an important way of life.

The pandemic’s long-lasting impact

There were challenges to building creative through Teams and video calls, of course. We worked closely together to find quick solutions, in contrast to situations in which work can get lost in processes, and in time-consuming layers of approvals. We found everyone was making an extra effort to build relationships in this new way of working. Sometimes virtual meetings felt more intimate and personal. We were not in the same room. We may have had laundry or screaming kids in the background, but this made the process somehow more personal. It reminded teams that while we’re marketing professionals, we’re human too. It can be hard not to be able to bounce ideas off one another in person, but we also found that, on video calls, some were more confident in speaking up. It was easier for them to be creative in that way.

We must be mindful that, for brands, agencies and the sector itself, huge changes will happen as soon as the pandemic ends, too. Some of the biggest changes will happen once it’s over, in terms of the way we work and the way approach each other. Like COVID itself, it will leave long lasting impact.

But fundamentally the campaign serves to remind us that, while we’ve all become so obsessed with technology, we have so many devices and tools, and everyone is fighting over claims of the being the fastest, the strongest, or the most reliable; this is not what makes human connections stronger. Humanity and playfulness are the key connector. In difficult times we are reminded that human connections are the strongest and it is these which get us through.