Coca-Cola and Oreo besties for ever.
With the creation of a new set of ads and a limited-edition partnership between Coca-Cola and Oreos two new products had entered the market under the idea of a friendship between the companies rather than only a momentary collaboration. This new set of ads, published by both companies in their various social media, were intended to promote and sell the limited edition Zero Sugar Fizzy Cookie flavour soda and Coca-Cola flavour Oreos.
For further context on this specific advertisement, this image was captured form the first two seconds of a short video that appeared under the OREO Cookie social media while browsing on YouTube. This specific part of the ad uses multiple black and white diagonal lines that run across the image and serve as an optical illusion that plays with the viewer’s perspective to create the iconic Coca-Cola bottle silhouette. Then, coming down form the top of the image, three cookies fall into the black spaces of the bottle, giving the illusion that they are turning into a part of the bottle. As for the colors of the image, the advertisement only uses black and white, which are mainly used to create the visual illusion that shapes the bottle’s silhouette but are also used to represent the coming together of both products. In the case of Oreo, black and white are the original colours of their cookies and for Coca-Cola, black is the color used on the lid and label of the Zero Sugar Coke, product that’s being promoted in the ad.
At the heart of this advertisement, Eugenia Zalis, the Global Head of marketing and Brand of Oreo states that, this collaboration: “[aimed to] unite [their] fanbases and celebrate the power of connection and togetherness”1. This collaboration was based on the idea of showing two products that usually wouldn’t be pared together but end up being an unexpected combination. For this, in this image they used the colors that they have in common as well as the image of the cookies merging with the bottle to convey the message that they are becoming one united force and not only a momentary collaboration, but this is also later reenforce in the same advertisement when they show the slogan for this collaboration: “Besties for Ever”1.
Even if in these specific advertisements the companies don’t show any ecofriendly practices or statements, The Coca-Cola company has been known for using their advertisements to proclaim their green practices across the multiple products and brands they own. In the article by Kylie R. Lanthorn (2013), one of these attempts is analyzed, as in 2011 Coca-Cola implemented the new “plantbottles”, product that was made from 30% plant materials and promoted as a clean, low-impact and 100% recyclable bottle, while promoting this new product, the company used the connections between the environment and colors, in this specific case the color green, to evoke in the consumers the idea that the company was taking an step on being more ecofriendly (34-41). In the same topic, Lenka Nagyova (2022) mentions that the company’s advertisement of a 100% recyclable product falls into a virtue signaling practice (strategy used to gain a reputation without really providing any real benefit for the consumers) rather than a real change, as they only choose to mention that the bottle is made with recyclable materials but exclude the fact that this doesn’t apply to the cap and label (31-34). Faced with this situation, European environmental organizations and consumers filed several complains against the company’s claims of the new bottles being 100% recyclable, as they were based solely on the used of ecological images and brands to convey the idea of a sustainable product and to disclaimed that the ability to recycle the bottles depended on the available infrastructure of the recycling plants and not on the product itself (Leggett & Edser 2023).
In the case of the other half of this collaboration, Oreo, owned by Mondelez International, has shown a more real change on their practices rather than the superficial level changes that Coca-Cola has show trough the years. Monterio, Gomez and Cannon, mentions that one of Oreo’s environmental concerns has been its’s involvement in the deforestation of over 700 square kilometers of rainforests to produce palm oil. As a response to this, the company withdraw from its supply chains in the Indonesian rain forest as an attempt to stop the damaged caused (as cited in Masud 2020, 83). Another example of the green changes that Mondelez International has implemented in the production of Oreo are the creation and expansion of the “Harmony wheat” program in Europe and the “Cocoa Life” initiative, programs that support the communities, environments and farmers that help grow the raw materials that the company uses (Mondelez International)6. In the case of the “Harmony wheat” the numbers and annual audits have shown that the program has reduce the carbon emissions, and the used of pesticides on lands that are part of the program. For “Cocoa Life” this program has steps to change not only the environmental problems related to cocoa farming but also the social ones, since they have also worked to solve problems such as child labour on the plantations as well as their commitment to help 200,000 framers from the lands from which they source their raw materials (Lakshmi 2021).
Bibliography
1.“Coca-Cola® and the OREO® Brands Become “Besties”,” n.d. https://www.coca-cola.com/cb/en/media-center/coca-cola-and-oreo-besties#:~:text=ATLANTA,%20GA%20and%20EAST%20HANOVER,%20NJ.
2.Lakshmi, Shubha. “Oreos to Be Made Using Sustainable Wheat and Cocoa.” BuzzOnEarth (blog), October 22, 2021. https://buzzonearth.com/blog/2018/06/14/oreos-from-sustainable-wheat-cocoa/#google_vignette.
3.Lanthorn, Kylie R. “It’s All About the Green: The Economically Driven Greenwashing Practices of Coca-Cola.” Augsburg Honors Review, 2013, 34-41. https://idun.augsburg.edu/honors_review/vol6/iss1/13
4.Leggett, Theo, and Edser, Nick. “Coca-Cola and Nestle accused of misleading eco claims.” BBC News, November 7, 2023. https://bbc.com/news/business-67343893.
5. Masud, Md Farhan, “Marketing research and integrated marketing communication plan of Oreo.” Journal-article. International Journal of Research Publications 65, no. 1 (December 9, 2020), 83. https://doi.org/10.47119/IJRP1006511120201575.
6. Mondelēz International, Inc. “More Sustainable Ingredients”, Mondelēz International, Inc., n.d. https://www.mondelezinternational.com/snacking-made-right/sustainable-ingredients/
7. Nagyova, Lenka. “Talk Is Cheap: Coca Cola’s Use of Greenwashing, Slacktivism and Virtue Signalling.” Figshare, April 17, 2024, 31-34. https://illustro-iadt.figshare.com/articles/thesis/Talk_is_cheap_Coca_Cola_s_use_of_greenwashing_slacktivism_and_virtue_signalling/25211945?file=44525483.
8. “It’s Mesmerizing to Look at, Isn’t It? Wait Until You Taste It”, produced by OREO Cookie(@Oreo), September 6, 2024 YouTube video, 0:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-5wJG853as.
Nicole chudi-Onyereri
This essay was well written. she provides a thoughtful analysis of the Coca-Cola and Oreo collaboration, especially when it comes to the potential greenwashing practices of Coca-Cola. she effectively describes how the advertisement uses black and white imagery to represent the merging of these two iconic brands, and she links this to the theme of unity and “togetherness” highlighted by the companies. Her summary of Coca-Cola’s past greenwashing attempts, such as the “plantbottle” initiative, is well-argued, pointing out the discrepancy between the company’s marketing and its actual environmental impact. The critique of Coca-Cola’s use of eco-friendly claims, which are often more symbolic than substantive, is clear and convincing.
Her analysis of Oreo’s more genuine environmental efforts, such as the Harmony wheat and Cocoa Life programs, is strong. She uses scholarly sources effectively to contrast Oreo’s tangible steps towards sustainability with Coca-Cola’s superficial attempts, showing how both companies have different approaches to corporate responsibility.
However, She could have strengthened their analysis by discussing how the ad itself relates to these greenwashing practices. While She critiques the companies’ broader environmental actions, she doesn’t link it back to whether this specific ad perpetuates greenwashing or not. Additionally, she might have explored how such partnerships and campaigns target younger, more eco-conscious consumers, which could add more depth to the critique. Overall, though, the analysis is thorough and well-supported.