The World’s Best-Selling Cookie
Every year, 60 billion Oreos are sold around the world.
That’s 7.6 cookies for every person on the planet.
For the last decade, no company has been able to keep up with Oreo’s sales.
But it’s not because their cookies are great…
Or even because they’ve mastered the art of market pricing.
It’s because Oreo uses one tactic that very few companies have mastered…
It’s why China and Venesula have their own Oreo flavor…
And why Oreo kiosks are only found in South American countries…
What’s the tactic?
Geographic marketing - Marketing your brand in specific ways based on where your buyer lives.
Today, we’ll talk about how Oreo does this in 3 ways that you can use to conquer any market.
The Art of Geographic Marketing
When Oreo expanded to South America, they spent 3 years in the red.
Why?
Because Oreo was trying to copy and paste their US marketing tactics everywhere else.
After 3 years of failure, Oreo tried something different.
They sponsored surveys to get a better grip on what consumers wanted in each country.
They learned two big things:
Only Americans like the cookie-and-cream flavor
In other countries, people don’t have the pantry space to fit the large Oreo packaging
So Oreo had to make some changes:
1 - Different flavors by region
In Venezuela, the top Oreo flavor is milk chocolate. In Malaysia, it’s coffee.
In China, it’s green tea with 27% less sugar.
2 - Oreos paired with drinks other than milk
Europe wanted theirs with tea. So Oreo created a formula that was dryer and called them ‘biscuits.’
China wanted theirs with Tang. So Oreo created the orange Oreo to eat with Tang.
3 - Smaller packaging
Americans have big pantries and shop in supermarkets. So, the flat wide packaging makes sense to fill up shelf space.
But in other countries where people go to multiple stores for food and have smaller pantries, they want smaller packaging.
No matter what market you’re in, your consumers need to like your product and have a frictionless way to buy it.
And it’s up to you to figure out how to do it.
The Language Of Sales
“Enter the conversation already taking place in the customer’s mind”
-Robert Collier
Oreo is an old brand name in the US. So their US marketing shows grandparents passing down the ‘right’ way to eat an Oreo.
But Oreos entered the Chinese market 30 years ago. So running the same ad will not resonate with the Chinese market.
Instead, Oreo is advertised as grandchildren introducing it to Grandparents.
You have to speak the language of your audience.
Use terms they use, press their pain points, and most importantly…
Market where they already give their attention.
Take a look at where Oreo spends its marketing budget per region:
China - Commercial ads
In China brands advertised on TV are seen as more credible. So Oreo spends most of its budget on commercials.
South America - Outdoor marketing
Oreo found South Americans spend more time driving to work and walking outside than at home.
So, Oreo spends its advertising there on billboards, buses, and buildings.
India - Cricket Players
Most of India is rural. So Oreo had to find a way to get their brand in homes that was not dependent on location.
If your prospects hang out on LinkedIn, they’re more likely to respond to you there than on Instagram.
If you’re targeting moms, don’t spend money advertising on sports pages.
Go where your buyers effortlessly give their attention.
Printing Social Proof
If I say “I made $156 million in sales,” most would find that hard to conceptualize.
But if I say “I made enough to buy over 12 million Chipotle burritos”...
It becomes a bit easier to imagine.
It’s the same with marketing.
You have to portray your brand in a way that means something to your buyers.
And that changes depending on where you are.
When Oreo moved into foreign markets, they were competing with snack brands that had been around for ages.
So to boost their perceived value, they would print logos on their packages that were similar to trusted brands.
In some cases, they would even buy the brand altogether.
Like in Canada, when they acquired Christie Cookies. There, Oreos are called “Christie Oreos.”
