In 2024, OREO updated its recipe with more cocoa and less sugar. However, a 2021 scientific study, "Reformulation and Consumer Resistance: The Role of Expectation in Food Acceptance," found that “consumers might reject new product versions because they think the taste won’t match their expectations.” At the same time, stricter European regulations on HFSS products further limited traditional snack promotions. We took those odds in the most playful way, turning scepticism into snack-time. And we made it possible with a partnership with a relevant cultural phenomenon: MINECRAFT. With over 300 million copies of the game sold, and a hyped upcoming movie, we merged this iconic square-only universe with the round OREO

OREO changed its recipe, and convincing people to try something new is never an easy task, especially when the changes are in a flavour as beloved as OREO's. So, instead of another stale activation, we made tasting evolve into an unmissable experience. We found a twist in the most hyped upcoming film of the year: A MINECRAFT MOVIE. Since the iconic universe is made only of squares, we noticed that round OREO cookies couldn’t belong. So, we got playful: for the first time, players had to bite the cookie into a square to start the game and explore an exclusive MINECRAFT location. Not only putting the product in the centre, but people also had to eat it to start the experience. After the first teasers, fans flooded OREO’s social media, demanding a MINECRAFT-themed cookie. And we answered with the OG Square Cookie - the first design change in OREO’s 113-year history.

To turn consumer scepticisms into cookie craving, we had to do something never done before. So, we skipped traditional FMCG activations and evolved a tasting experience to a Web-AR game tied to the most hyped film of the year: A MINECRAFT MOVIE. A massive cultural force with games sold over 300 million times and a highly anticipated movie. By targeting both MINECRAFT players and families planning to see the film, we connected with diverse audiences across different backgrounds. Since there are no round things in the MINECRAFT universe, people had to make our cookies square to start the experience. Trying the new recipe in the most playful way. Really bringing OREO’s brand core equity values forward. Before launch, we predicted the fans’ reactions and produced the OG Square Cookie. So, when everyone hyped for the partnership, we released our limited edition, driving fan love.

Launched in January 2025, the campaign reached local and global audiences through digital and physical channels, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, OOH, influencers, newsletters, points of sale, and local activations. OREO and A MINECRAFT MOVIE partnered up to release an AR game that evolved a traditional FMCG activation into a tasting experience. Fans had not only to interact with the OREO cookie but taste it and even change its shape into a square – making it a part of MINECRAFT’s universe and being able to start the experience. After fans entered www.oreo.eu and scanned the square-bitten cookie with their phones, a portal revealed a location with iconic MINECRAFT items to be traded for real-life rewards. All without app downloads. Soon after the campaign’s release, social media mentions skyrocketed and we produced the limited-edition OG Square OREO, handled to cookie lovers and modern art museums, reshaping pop culture.

Instead of just going for the quick sale, OREO and MINECRAFT deliberately relied on their strong communities and influencers and made them active multipliers of the campaign. Even though the numbers are still counting, the engagement on social media skyrocketed, reaching several reactions and fans’ organic content. We even got recognised by the community: there is a page about our experience in the MINECRAFT Wiki, an online encyclopaedia about the game. Just on the first days of the campaign, we got 35,800 people trying the new cookies. In a world with ever-shortening attention spans, the experience achieved a 2min 57sec average time played.