Brief:

• Google's new Android operating system is called "Oreo," part of a partnership with the Mondelez cookie brand of the same name that includes a slew of co-branded multichannel marketing detailed in a press release. In a separate company blog post, Google outlined how Oreo is introducing a faster and more secure OS for mobile devices, along with some new emojis. 
• At the center of the effort promoting the OS is a new version of the Android brand mascot, revealed at an eclipse viewing party in New York City just outside the site of the original Nabisco factory where Oreos were first baked. The robot, who has morphed into a superhero complete with an Oreo cookie breastplate, is featured in videos explaining the OS' new features. Among other planned tie-ins are a drone flight that projects a holographic version of the Android and Oreo superhero, Android and Oreo-branded cookie giveaways and interactions between the two companies on social media.
• Android has a long history of naming its OS versions after sweet treats. Its most recent version was called Nougat. And back in 2013, Google named a version after the Kit Kat candy bar, triggering a series of cross-brand, candy-themed marketing efforts.

Insight:

Android devices have quickly come to dominate a large share of the mobile phone market, with its software rising to top usage among OS systems in general. Back in April, a report by TechCrunch citing data from StatCounter said Android's popularity had even overtaken prominent desktop OS Windows, underscoring how any update to the platform is significant. The launch of Android 8.0 Oreo will directly impact consumers and developers more than marketers but also shows how brands like Oreo can leverage mobile software upgrades to put their names top of mind. 

This isn't the first marketing activation this year involving both Google and Oreo: the two previously partnered for a 'dunk challenge' involving the cookie. That earlier collaboration featured loads of mobile and web-based features leveraging Google Maps, Snapchat lenses, Twitter hashtags and more.

Oreo's parent company Mondelez International has turned the cookie brand into one of the more sophisticated players in digital marketing, winning big with YouTube ads, holiday gift sites, and the now-legendary Super Bowl tweet.