Oreo supports LGBTQ pride with social giveaway of rainbow cookies

Brief:

Mondelez's Oreo cookie brand is celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month on social media by giving out the first packs of its sandwich cookies with rainbow filling for each color of the Pride flag. The giveaway is part of its longer-term #ProudParent campaign with nonprofit group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to show how families can foster LGBTQ acceptance, per an announcement emailed to Mobile Marketer.
To receive one of the 10,000 packages of the #ProudParent Oreos, which aren't available in stores, the brand is asking people to post a social media photo of what it means to be an ally. Entrants must follow the @Oreo account on either Instagram or Twitter and tag it in their photos, along with the #ProudParent and #Giveaway hashtags.
As part of the push to engage with consumers around acceptance of gender and sexual identities, Oreo and PFLAG also released a three-minute film titled "Proud Parent" on a microsite to dramatize the importance of parental support for their LGBTQ children. Oreo's #ProudParent campaign debuted in June with the launch of a Proud Parent page on the PFLAG National website, a social media campaign for Pride Month and co-branded digital out-of-home displays in New York and San Francisco.

Insight:

Oreo's social push and giveaway of its limited-edition #ProudParent cookies could grab the attention of allies online as LGBTQ+ History Month gets underway. With many Pride events canceled this year because of the pandemic, Oreo has sought other ways to reach consumers with its campaign to promote acceptance of LGBTQ family members. That includes the release of its short film, "Proud Parent," which depicts the challenges that individuals in this community can face in gaining parental approval.

The social media giveaway and release of the short film are the latest installments of Oreo's #ProudParent campaign that began during Pride Month in June. Pride Month tends to have more brand campaigns than LGBTQ+ History Month does, but marketers' plans might have changed as the U.S. was in the midst of the pandemic and unrest around racial justice during June. There have been a handful of LGBTQ+ History Month campaigns, including one by travel site Orbitz around social influencers featuring virtual tours of queer-friendly businesses, landmarks and cities.

Marketers in recent years have boosted their Pride-themed marketing as younger demographic groups show greater acceptance of gender diversity and tend to support brands that demonstrate a commitment to social causes. Pride-themed campaigns shape consumer perceptions about gender inclusivity, according to recent research. Depictions of LGBTQ people in TV, film and advertising help to support acceptance among consumers outside the community, according to a study from advocacy group GLAAD and Procter & Gamble. People exposed to LGBTQ-inclusive media were 80% more likely to be more supportive of equal rights than people who hadn't recently consumed such media, the study found.

Oreo, whose parent company Mondelez saw a surge in demand for snacks and comfort foods during the onset of the pandemic, in the past few years has been active with various digital campaigns, typically for new flavors and brand extensions. In January, Oreo ran a sweepstakes that asked people to vote on their favorite amount of frosting to include in its cookies. The campaign included a branded hashtag challenge on social video app TikTok that asked people to show their favorite amount of frosting. Before that, Oreo let people ask Amazon Alexa, the e-commerce giant's virtual assistant, about the sandwich cookie's latest news and flavors without needing to download a separate voice-powered app. The cookie brand also collaborated with Dunkin' on a Twitter promotion for new flavors of doughnuts and coffee.