Oreo showed the picture of a cookie stuffed with rainbow-colored layers of frosting on it’s Facebook page.Monday evening with the caption “Proudly support love!” and “June 25/Pride” showing its support for the Gay rights. The picture was photoshopped. So in case you’re wondering, the cookie isn’t available for sale.
But the post got a big response from the brand’s 26 million fans.
The photo was posted by the Kraft Foods brand.
Over the past 18 hours more than 205,198 people have “liked” the image, over 61,900 people have shared it and more than 20,000 have commented on it.
While many of the comments to the image were supportive including that of a fan named William Kinder, who wrote, “Oreos have always been one of my favorite cookies. I’m going to make sure to buy them for the rest of my life now. Thank you so much for standing up for gay rights. ♥,” others pledged to boycott the cookie because of the post.
“Bye Bye OREO!,” wrote a user Jeni Friedersdorf. “Why can’t companies stay neutral on such things?” A few quoted the Bible; several swore to boycott the snack.
“Disgusted with oreos,” wrote another. “Being gay is an abmonitation in GOd’s eyes i wont be buying them anymore.”
In response came a positive reply. One user, Matthew Merix, wrote: “Homophobes = tacky. Kraft Foods = progressive. Cookies = AWESOME.” The debate quickly spilled onto the rest of Oreo’s Facebook profile and also onto Twitter.
An Oreo spokesperson provided the following statement about the campaign:
In celebration of the 100th birthday of Oreo cookies, the brand is creating a series of daily ads reflecting current events in a fun way using images of Oreo cookies and milk. These ads are in the same style of the print advertising campaign for Oreo’s 100th Birthday that launched earlier this year. The new campaign will bring to life trending topics, pop culture news, milestones or celebrations using images of the iconic cookie and milk. In recognition of Pride Month, Oreo created an ad depicting the Rainbow flag with different colors of Oreo crème. We are excited to illustrate what is making history today in a fun and playful way. You can follow Oreo on Facebook to see the daily ads.
Oreo also posted other images in the ad campaign to celebrate the cookie’s 100th birthday, One of them includes a parody of the No. 1 hit song “Call Me Maybe,” depicting an Oreo and glass of milk.
“I just met you and this is crazy, but here’s some milk so dunk me maybe,” reads the ad, also posted to the Oreo Facebook wall.
The Campaign brought Oreo and the Gay rights mixed reactions but the Company’s sales certainly benefited from the ad. Hordes of commenters pledged to buy the cookies, marketed through the Kraft’s Nabisco brand, to show solidarity. That lead some users to question the company’s motives.
“What’s funny is the fact that people are congratulating ‘Oreo’ for taking this stand and ‘not caring about profits,’ wrote Facebook user Dennis Archer. “This will do nothing but cause an influx of sales, which Nabisco was well aware of.”
Oreo is just one of the large groups of brands to show support for the LGBT community.
Target launched a line of gay pride t-shirtsin honor of Pride month, and received a great response. The proceeds went to support the Family Equality Council, a Washington D.C.-based gay rights advocacy group.
Ben & Jerry’s, renamed its apple pie flavor “Apple-y Ever After” in shops throughout the U.K. in March, while the British government was debating legalizing same sex marriages. The brand has been a longtime supporter of LGBT causes.
The Vermont-based ice cream company changed its peanut butter-filled pretzel flavor in 2009 when same sex marriage was being legalized in Vermont, swapping the “Chubby Hubby” name for “Hubby Hubby.”
Other brands such as Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, Bud Light and, Johnson & Johnson sent representatives to the equal rights events scheduled around the country this past weekend.
Companies are even competing to offer the most innovative gay-friendly internal policies, according to a February report from the Economist. American Express has created a “pride network” with more than 1,000 members; Cisco offers LGBT workers a bonus to make up for an irregularity in the U.S. tax code.
The LGBT community may be small in size, but it receives a great support from its backers.
