On March 6, Oreo threw surprise celebrations around the world in honor of the 100th birthday of the chocolate-flavored biscuit cookie with cream filling. To celebrate this milestone, Oreo and Nabisco hosted numerous activities around the world, including seven surprise flash-mob-style birthday parties in the U.S., one of them held at Mary Brickell Village in downtown Miami.
The birthday party showcased more than 40 dancers, who surprised shoppers with a flash mob of dancers who sang "Happy Birthday" to the cookie. Following the party's opening performance, staffers set up "Twist, Lick, and Dunk" contests for kids of all ages. The "Oreo Man" even made an appearance, stopping to greet guests. All participants and spectators snacked on free milk and cookies during the afternoon. Oreo also set up a Web site where fans could send a virtual birthday message to someone from Oreo and the band Lady Antebellum.
The birthday events are not only part of its centennial celebration, but also Oreo's marketing mission to celebrate the kid inside every consumer by inspiring and collecting one million moments of slowed-down, carefree fun. The brand is measuring the fun through its Oreo Million Moments Meter on this site.
Oreo's 100th birthday also marks the introduction of an international limited-edition cookie: the Birthday Cake Oreo, with colorful sprinkles in the cream filling held together by the cookie wafers, which are embossed with a special birthday design. Nabisco also introduced new global advertising for print, TV, and digital campaigns March 2.