To honor all those remixing its food in innovative ways, Oreo last week launched a Web series showcasing top chefs Roy Choi, Michael Voltaggio and Nguyen Tran hacking the sweet treat into popular food entrées.
The videos are all part of Oreo’s ongoing Snack Hacks campaign, but the idea of tweaking the Oreo experience didn’t originate with the company. It was inspired by a viral picture of a person dunking the cookie in a glass of milk using a fork as a way to keep their hands clean.
“In 100 years people have been dunking Oreo cookies, and somebody comes up with a fork!” Kristin Hajinlian, brand manager at Oreo at Mondelez International Inc., told Adweek. “Isn’t that a creative way to enjoy the cookie in a new way? It got us thinking about what are the other kitchen utensils and things that you can bring into the Oreo experience.”
The company realized mixing up the Oreo experience—and eating food in general—was a popular trend online, so it decided to jump on it. Soon after, the company was encouraging fans to post their own twists on the Oreo eating experience and label their inventions with the hashtag #OreoSnackHack. New ideas popped up, including putting the cookie in a pepper grinder to create sprinkles or mixing bits it in with popcorn for additional flavor.
Vine video series were spawned, but Oreo wanted to take it to the next level with this new Web series. Fans will see Choi making chicken tenders with golden Oreos, Voltaggio concocting alcoholic Oreo Shandys (not as gross as it sounds!), and Tran creating an Oreo bread pudding dish sans an oven. All the treats only involve a few steps so the average person can watch the video, head to the kitchen and try it herself.
The company really isn’t interested in bringing the campaign to the print or television medium: It wants Snack Hacks to stay organic in the social media realm.
“We look at our social content really as a way to connect with our fans. We’re always looking for things they are most interested in,” Hajinlian said.
Learn how to make Choi’s Oreo chicken tenders below:
