Do you fold your pizza slice or tap your can of pop before you drink it? If so, you are practising a food ritual. Rituals are sets of multiple, symbolic behaviours that occur in a fixed sequence and are repeated periodically.
Rituals are an important component of culture, and many rituals are associated with food. Perhaps you also follow the same ritual millions of others do when eating “Milk’s Favourite Cookie”-the Oreo: Twist, Lick, and Dunk!
Oreo was first introduced in 1912 and has grown to be the bestselling cookie brand of the twenty-first century with over $2 billion in global annual sales and a roughly § percent share of worldwide cookie sales–that’s three times more than any other cookie! I Every year, enough Oreos are produced to circle the earth five times over 40 billion! A great product and intensive marketing have contributed to Oreo’s success, but many also give credit to the famous ritual associated with eating the delicious cookies.
One study found that food rituals like twist, lick, and dunk may actually enhance our enjoyment of the food we eat. Performing the ritual seems to boost our interest in the food; we think the eating experience is more enjoyable and we find the food more flavourful. An important finding for marketers was that the study participants who performed the ritual were willing to pay more than those who just ate the food without the ritual. The test was done with chocolate and lemonade, but it also worked with baby carrots. Perhaps we need a ritual for broccoli? 12
Mondelez, the maker of Oreos, has invested heavily in promotional activity designed to help us remember how to eat its cookie. At one point they produced a series of advertisements showing very cute children teaching their parents how to eat the cookie properly. 13 In one, a boy and his father twist, lick, and dunk via video chat from opposite sides of the globe, wishing each other “Good Morning” and “Good Night,” showing the power of rituals to connect us together. 14
Oreo has also upped its effort to get even more cookie fans engaged in Oreo’s ritual. The “Oreo Dunk Challenge” featured celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal, Christina Aguilera, and Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. In one, Shaq (wearing a sparkly blue pantsuit) flew down a silk rope to make his dunk. Aguilera was on a tightrope and Neymar bounced off a trampoline before dunking and stopping a rolling soccer ball. 15 The promotion also drew on user-generated content to include a sweepstakes in which Oreo fans submitted their own dunk videos via social media.
While rituals contribute to our culture, there are other societal factors that may conflict with those treasured routines, or at least the products at the centre of them. Oreo has faced this problem as another cultural trend takes hold: the concern over childhood obesity. Schools have pulled cookies from vending machines or snack menus, and Oreo responded to the public concern by eliminating all marketing in schools, including a book that used images of Oreos to teach children how to count. The brand also introduced a vanilla cookie with no trans-fat and 100-calorie packs of its cookies. Today, all Oreos are made without trans-fat. 17
Another major cultural shift occurred with the adoption of the smartphone and with it our seemingly constant use of social media apps. How did this impact Oreo sales? In the past, shoppers waiting to pay at the grocery store were prime targets for an impulse purchase candy, gum, or a sleeve of Oreos. Now, these waiting shoppers are often looking at their phones instead of those racks full of Oreos and other delights. To try to get those consumers’ attention again, Oreo sends regular social media messages–YouTube videos, Instagram ads, and tweets, hoping the customer will take the hint to grab a pack of Oreos.18
For the record, not all Oreo eaters faithfully twist, lick, and dunk. About 50 percent of Oreo lovers eat their cookies whole and 50 percent pull them apart.
Men are more likely than women to eat them whole. But for many, this ritual will have the effect that Oreo Global Brand Director Justin Parnell intends:
“OREO sees the world with childlike wonder and our iconic dunking ritual is the purest articulation of that vision. When you dunk an OREO cookie in milk, you’re releasing a bit of childlike wonder from within, and it’s those types of moments that our brand was built on. We’re thrilled to inspire fans to dunk OREO cookies on a global scale and inspire more moments of play and wonder around the world.”19 Do you fold your pizza slice or tap your can of pop before you drink it? If so, you are practising a food ritual. Rituals are sets of multiple, symbolic behaviours that occur in a fixed sequence and are repeated periodically.
Rituals are an important component of culture, and many rituals are associated with food. Perhaps you also follow the same ritual millions of others do when eating “Milk’s Favourite Cookie”-the Oreo: Twist, Lick, and Dunk!
Oreo was first introduced in 1912 and has grown to be the bestselling cookie brand of the twenty-first century with over $2 billion in global annual sales and a roughly § percent share of worldwide cookie sales–that’s three times more than any other cookie! I Every year, enough Oreos are produced to circle the earth five times over 40 billion! A great product and intensive marketing have contributed to Oreo’s success, but many also give credit to the famous ritual associated with eating the delicious cookies.
One study found that food rituals like twist, lick, and dunk may actually enhance our enjoyment of the food we eat. Performing the ritual seems to boost our interest in the food; we think the eating experience is more enjoyable and we find the food more flavourful. An important finding for marketers was that the study participants who performed the ritual were willing to pay more than those who just ate the food without the ritual. The test was done with chocolate and lemonade, but it also worked with baby carrots. Perhaps we need a ritual for broccoli? 12
Mondelez, the maker of Oreos, has invested heavily in promotional activity designed to help us remember how to eat its cookie. At one point they produced a series of advertisements showing very cute children teaching their parents how to eat the cookie properly. 13 In one, a boy and his father twist, lick, and dunk via video chat from opposite sides of the globe, wishing each other “Good Morning” and “Good Night,” showing the power of rituals to connect us together. 14
Oreo has also upped its effort to get even more cookie fans engaged in Oreo’s ritual. The “Oreo Dunk Challenge” featured celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal, Christina Aguilera, and Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. In one, Shaq (wearing a sparkly blue pantsuit) flew down a silk rope to make his dunk. Aguilera was on a tightrope and Neymar bounced off a trampoline before dunking and stopping a rolling soccer ball. 15 The promotion also drew on user-generated content to include a sweepstakes in which Oreo fans submitted their own dunk videos via social media.
While rituals contribute to our culture, there are other societal factors that may conflict with those treasured routines, or at least the products at the centre of them. Oreo has faced this problem as another cultural trend takes hold: the concern over childhood obesity. Schools have pulled cookies from vending machines or snack menus, and Oreo responded to the public concern by eliminating all marketing in schools, including a book that used images of Oreos to teach children how to count. The brand also introduced a vanilla cookie with no trans-fat and 100-calorie packs of its cookies. Today, all Oreos are made without trans-fat. 17
Another major cultural shift occurred with the adoption of the smartphone and with it our seemingly constant use of social media apps. How did this impact Oreo sales? In the past, shoppers waiting to pay at the grocery store were prime targets for an impulse purchase candy, gum, or a sleeve of Oreos. Now, these waiting shoppers are often looking at their phones instead of those racks full of Oreos and other delights. To try to get those consumers’ attention again, Oreo sends regular social media messages–YouTube videos, Instagram ads, and tweets, hoping the customer will take the hint to grab a pack of Oreos.18
For the record, not all Oreo eaters faithfully twist, lick, and dunk. About 50 percent of Oreo lovers eat their cookies whole and 50 percent pull them apart.
Men are more likely than women to eat them whole. But for many, this ritual will have the effect that Oreo Global Brand Director Justin Parnell intends:
“OREO sees the world with childlike wonder and our iconic dunking ritual is the purest articulation of that vision. When you dunk an OREO cookie in milk, you’re releasing a bit of childlike wonder from within, and it’s those types of moments that our brand was built on. We’re thrilled to inspire fans to dunk OREO cookies on a global scale and inspire more moments of play and wonder around the world.”19
Q1)Read the case attached before answering the questions. Twist, lick, and dunk! Does it make Oreos taste better?
Choose a food brand without an apparent ritual and come up with one that could be used in a promotional activity. (No dunking allowed.) Explain your reasoning and use topics viewed in class.
