Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola and Oreo are partnering on two limited-edition products that feature each brand: an Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie and a Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar beverage.
• Half of the cookie has the classic chocolate “basecake” found in a traditional Oreo but this version also contains Coca-Cola syrup. The second half is a red-colored basecake embossed with Coca-Cola’s signature script. The two basecakes are stuffed with the white-colored creme with embedded popping candies that bring a “fizz”. The Zero Sugar beverage contains the Coca-Cola taste with “flavorful hints inspired by Oreo cookies.” 
• The Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie and Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar offerings will be available in grocery and convenience stores, including the U.S., starting in September. A frozen version of Coca-Cola Oreo also will be sold at McDonald’s and 7-Eleven in select markets.

Dive Insight:

Few brands with billions of dollars in annual sales are as popular around the world as Coca-Cola and Mondelēz International’s Oreo. As consumers look for new and novel offerings, the products are banking on their widespread appeal to generate an even greater buzz together.

With cookie and beverage shelves loaded with products, and cash-strapped consumers cutting back on what they buy at the store due to inflation, an innovation combining Coca-Cola and Oreo could be valuable in getting shoppers to impulsively toss one of these products into their carts. 

The limited-time products build on strategies that Coca-Cola and Oreo have embarked on previously. During the last several years, Mondelēz has introduced dozens of special edition Oreo flavors, including Jelly Donut, Watermelon and Birthday Cake, to attract people to the brand who are curious about the new items.

Coca-Cola has taken a similar path with its Creations platform. Coca-Cola started the initiative in 2022 to attract younger consumers. Creations don’t promote or reveal a flavor profile, such as cola, cherry or vanilla, but rather a mood or experience. The extensions have proven successful in drawing consumers into the original Coca-Cola brand.

So far, the company has introduced 11 limited-time items, including Coca-Cola Starlight, Coca-Cola Byte, Coca-Cola Dreamworld and Coca-Cola Wozzaah. 

To be sure, the new Oreo and Coca-Cola products benefit from the fact that each juggernaut brand has been sold for more than 100 years and they are known by consumers around the world. The campaign promoting the tie-up between the two products centers around coming together to be best friends, or “Besties,” by tapping into the top characteristics of each product to make them better together.

“At OREO, we strive to identify fresh ways to excite consumers and, with this collaboration, we have truly upped the ante,” Eugenia Zalis, global head of marketing and brand for Oreo at Mondelēz, said in a statement.

The new cookie and beverage also will include an extensive marketing campaign with digital and physical experiences to foster connections among friends.

Best friends will be able to go on Spotify where they will be asked questions to see how their taste in music stacks up against their bestie. A playlist will be generated with combined music preferences for the individuals to enjoy together. Coca-Cola and Oreo also are launching a “Bestie Mode” merchandise line that includes socks, tote bags, drinkware and notebooks with fashion retailer, Forever21. The merchandise will be available in the U.S.