The Oreo Will Be 100 Years Old in March

Famous foodstuffs frequently double-stuffed, Oreos tun 100 next month. The Pac-Man-inspired ad on the right of the image above is just part of the campaign for the very old cookies.

Here’s the most startling fact about Oreos in today’s New York Times story about the upcoming March 6 birthday:

Worldwide sales for Oreo rose to more than $2 billion last year, according to Kraft Foods, from $1 billion as recently as 2007.

And here’s some terrific marketing speak about the great food:

Oreo moments began to be featured in ads more than two decades ago, said John Campbell, worldwide account director on the Kraft Foods account at Draftfcb, as “more moms entered the work force, people got more busy and more of the carefree moments of childhood were being lost.”

“The ‘twist, lick and dunk’ ritual was a wonderful way to respond to that by slowing people down to enjoy cookies and milk, what they grew up with,” he added. Given what the lives of adults are like now, the idea of Oreo moments “becomes more and more relevant now, with every passing day,” Mr. Campbell said. “The time was right to amp that up and play it even harder than we’ve been.”

Happy birthday, Oreos. The role you played in mostly in the past. I’ve got my health to think about now.

The Oreo Turns 100, With a Nod to the Past [NY Times]