OREO launches The Playful Network

Background

OREO, the Mondelez-owned cookie brand, in partnership with Digitas UK, is celebrating the amazing human connections we made during lockdown by launching a new network for the nation - theplayfulnetwork.com.

Idea

The Playful Network doesn’t deliver super-fast 5G or state-of-the-art technology but instead celebrates our collective playfulness. Because after everything that’s happened this year, the one thing we’ve learnt is that the strongest connection we have is each other.

In a parody to TELCO over-claims, The Playful Network promises to “supercharge your connectivity” thanks to a “cutting edge connection device” – otherwise known as an OREO cookie.

The campaign breaks today and runs for eight weeks on video-on-demand, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and digital display – with additional support from PR and media partnerships.

All activity directs people to the bespoke website, theplayfulnetwork.com, where people who join The Playful Network have the chance to order a free, personalised OREO “Connection Pack”, consisting of 14 connection devices (OREO cookies to you and me).

Like every telco, The Playful Network’s website features top tips and ideas to create better connections – but instead of giving advice on installing your SIM or repositioning the router, it suggests taking the time to have fun with loved ones. Other Playful Network features include: ‘unused (OREO) bites roll-over’ and an immediate ‘free replacement service’ (if you break your OREO there are 13 more in the pack).

The Playful Network also features its own Ultimate Connection Bundle which has nothing to do with unlimited data or broadband speeds, but gives people a chance to win £1,000 worth of experience vouchers to enjoy with their nearest and dearest.

To be eligible for a chance to win, people are encouraged to use social media to show how they’re connecting with friends and family members in creative ways thanks to Oreo.

Digitas is the lead agency for Oreo UK and led strategy, creative, UX design, and the build of ‘The Playful Network’. Media was led by Carat, Elvis handled community management, and Golin managing consumer PR. Production is by Prodigious (Publicis Groupe) and there is a content partnership led by Jungle Creations.

Earlier in 2020, Digitas helped OREO become one of the first brands to support people staying home during lockdown with a social-only campaign called The OREO Playbook. With the aim of brightening the lives of young millennial families stuck at home during the lockdown, the Playbook featured ideas of things to do from home, from a recipe for OREO brownies to a game of draughts with a difference.

Aislinn Campbell, Senior Brand Manager at Mondelez, said: “There are so many heart-warming aspects to what has happened this year and the way the country reacted to the pandemic was in true British playful fashion. We want to keep this spirit alive and Digitas has come up with a really fun way of doing this, continuing the successful strategy from our Stay Home Stay Playful work in the spring but keeping it fresh and relevant it at the same time.” Lazaros Nikiforidis, ECD at Digitas, said: “This year has been incredibly hard on so many. And seeing the way everyone pulled together to find new moments of playful connection made us realise that if anything, Brits already know how to Stay Playful. So for us, The Playful Network already exists everywhere. It’s you, me, gran, Jan & Frank over the road. The bloke on TikTok that sings Tina Turner. It’s all of us. Let’s celebrate that and lean into it. That’s what the Playful Network means.”

Results

There has been about 300 UGC entries to the competition – across Twitter and Insta.

The HERO asset has received 818,782 views on YouTube.

The project was still live so these are initial results and not final results.

FB – reporting to the 11th Oct - Across Facebook so far they have spent a total of £15.5k so far vs. overall budget of £98.04k, pacing at 14% of time elapsed vs. 15% of Budget spent. Whilst currently delivering an overall Reach of 5.4m as their primary KPI.

- From a secondary KPI perspective the campaign so far has delivered 4.8k clicks at a CTR marginally under benchmarked at 0.06% vs. 0.10% planned.

- From a creative perspective the Gaming creative has been attributed the greatest volume of Media Budget at 37%, as Facebook optimises towards the best performing creative from a key KPI perspective. From a secondary perspective we have seen that the Sports creative has delivered a strong level of engagement, with the significantly greater volume of 136k at a strong engagement rate of 8.28%.

TW – reporting to the 11th Oct Promoted Video - A total of £11.7k was spent vs. overall budget of £83.9k, pacing at 14% of time elapsed vs. 14% of Budget spent. - From a key KPI perspective they've seen VTR delivering above planned currently at 27.63% vs. 25% benchmark showing consumers are engaged with the content at a cost efficient rate.

- With the strongest performing creative being the 'Gaming' creative which has been attributed overall 30% of the budget.

TW Instream - A total of £4.3k was spent vs. overall budget of £29.6k, pacing at 14% of time elapsed vs. 14% of Budget spent.

- From a key KPI on Pre Roll Views in total 983k was delivered vs 2.6m forecast, which is 37% of views vs 14% of budget spent at a CPM lower than planned. With overall VTR currently at 37.5% vs. 50% benchmark.

- With the Gaming creative being attributed around 50% of the budget, following the trend seen with the Promoted Video posts, that this is the stronger performing creative at the moment.

Digital reporting until the 14th Oct Masthead - The Masthead delivered some really strong results vs plan in terms of impressions at 3% higher than planned and CTR at 35% over target, both on a lower CPM than planned.

Teads & Hoopla - Teads & Hoopla on the 5th October, and both are generating great engagement in the form of clicks on these engaging ads. Hoopla CTRs have been the strongest on the campaign coming in at 1.37%- 37% over their 1% benchmark, whilst Teads CTR has come in 70% over their 0.1% target too which is very positive.

- Teads VTR has also been very strong, coming in at 74%- more than double our 30% benchmark which is great to see.

Youtube - Our non-Channel factory activity is proving extremely cost-effective, with both our Bumper and Trueview for Reach surpassing our primary CPM targets, which means we are on track to deliver much stronger reach than planned.

- Whilst Trueview for Reach VTR is coming in under our 20% target, this is not a huge concern as this buy type optimises towards reach rather completions.