The Ridiculous Measure Oreo Is Taking To Protect Itself From Asteroids
When Olivia Gordon realized that, in addition to everything else occurring in 2020, asteroid 2018 VP1 will pass the Earth at grazing distance, Gordon tweeted "I wonder who will save the oreos?" Before continuing, let us reassure you that NASA (as reported by CNET) is not worried about the impending asteroid: "It currently has a 0.41 percent chance of entering our planet's atmosphere, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its extremely small size." Nevertheless, Oreo got wind of Gordon's concern and decided to save their recipe, lest the unlikely apocalypse were to wipe out humanity's greatest achievement. Their planning came to fruition on October 23rd, when Oreo announced the creation of the Global Oreo Vault, a video advertisement for which can be seen on YouTube.
Inspired by the Global Seed Vault housed in the far north Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, Oreo announced in a press release sent to Mashed that it now has an asteroid-proof facility to keep "OREO cookies, powdered milk (just add snow), and the top-secret OREO cookie recipe safe from the potential asteroid." As an added measure, Oreo wrapped its packaging in mylar, a substance that can withstand temperature changes from -80 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and blocks reactions with the air, moisture, and chemicals in general. In other words, these Oreos would be safe for a long time. Going even further, Oreo started inviting other snack brands, like Sour Patch Kids (via Twitter), to join its grocery cart Noah's Ark. So far, the stunt's received mostly positive feedback.
Oreos for all humanity
As of writing, Oreo has uploaded three Global Oreo Vault videos to its YouTube account. The first two play out the vault's creation within the month time limit they have to build it, while the third simply depicts Oreo's brand manager and the project manager of the architecture firm that created the vault despairing over a possible future in which only oatmeal raisin cookies are available. All of these ads end with "Stay Playful," Oreo's tagline since 2019 (via Marketing Dive). In case you didn't think Oreo would go all the way with the bit, they sent a package of these mylar wrapped Oreos with "Emergency Oreo Ration" and "For All Humanity" written on the outside and a piece of paper declaring "Hei fra Svalbard" within to Instagram user and Oreo fanatic @nicolelovar (seen in the user's Instagram stories). The brand presumably sent the packages out to others as well.
While one may miss the playful directness of Jim Henson's Wilkins Coffee commercials, the ad campaign's absurdity does touch upon the apocalyptic mood most of the year has wallowed in, giving everyone some much needed comic relief. Between the Global Oreo Vault and their Proud Parent campaign, Oreo has continued to prove itself to be one of the more adept brands at merging content with advertising. Perhaps it's also a harbinger of a future where product placement is replaced with product based entertainment — at least there'll still be Oreos.