Oreo Isn't Picking Its New Flavor — Consumers Are

Oreo, the world's best-selling cookie brand and part of Mondelēz, is taking a new approach to reducing the usual risk of launching a new product: instead of choosing a new flavor itself, it's handing the decision directly to consumers. In a campaign launched on August 13, Oreo unveiled three unconventional flavor options — banana pudding, deep-fried cookie dough, and chicken and waffles — and promised the winning flavor would land on store shelves next year.

Packaged food brands typically face serious risk when launching a new product: negotiating with retailers, paying for shelf space, and a high failure rate all add cost and uncertainty. For Oreo, that risk is usually smaller than for most, given how firmly established the brand already is in the market. Even so, the company is looking to cut that risk further this time by putting the choice in consumers' hands.

Oreo's chief marketing officer, Sally Barton, told ADWEEK: "We haven't decided which flavor we're launching yet" — a line that captures the whole point of the campaign: the decision rests entirely on consumer votes. The approach doesn't just make the marketing more effective — it also amps up the campaign's potential to spark conversation and buzz on social media, since the audience is no longer just watching but directly shaping the outcome.