OREO Supercharges Britain's Resilient Spirit with The Playful Network

OREO, the Mondelez-owned cookie brand, in partnership with Digitas UK, is celebrating the amazing human connections we made during lockdown by launching a new network for the nation - theplayfulnetwork.com.

The Playful Network doesn’t deliver super-fast 5G or state-of-the-art technology, but instead celebrates our collective playfulness. Because after everything that’s happened this year, the one thing we’ve learnt is that the strongest connection we have is each other.

In a parody to TELCO over-claims, The Playful Network promises to ‘supercharge your connectivity’ thanks to a ‘cutting edge connection device’ – otherwise known as an OREO cookie. 

The campaign breaks today and runs for eight weeks on video-on-demand, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and digital display – with additional support from PR and media partnerships. 

All activity directs people to the bespoke website, theplayfulnetwork.com, where people who join The Playful Network have the chance to order a free, personalised OREO ‘Connection Pack’, consisting of 14 connection devices (OREO cookies to you and me).

Like every telco, The Playful Network’s website features top tips and ideas to create better connections – but instead of giving advice on installing your SIM or repositioning the router, it suggests taking the time to have fun with loved ones. Other Playful Network features include: ‘unused (OREO) bites roll-over’ and an immediate ‘free replacement service’ (if you break your OREO there are 13 more in the pack). 

The Playful Network also features its own Ultimate Connection Bundle which has nothing to do with unlimited data or broadband speeds, but gives people a chance to win £1,000 worth of experience vouchers to enjoy with their nearest and dearest. 

To be eligible for a chance to win, people are encouraged to use social media to show how they’re connecting with friends and family members in creative ways thanks to Oreo.

Digitas is the lead agency for Oreo UK and led strategy, creative, UX design, and the build of ‘The Playful Network’. Media was led by Carat, Elvis handled community management, and Golin managing consumer PR. Production is by Prodigious (Publicis Groupe) and there is a content partnership led by Jungle Creations.

Earlier in 2020, Digitas helped OREO become one of the first brands to support people staying home during lockdown with a social-only campaign called The OREO Playbook. With the aim of brightening the lives of young millennial families stuck at home during lockdown, the Playbook featured ideas of things to do from home, from a recipe for OREO brownies to a game of draughts with a difference. 

Aislinn Campbell, senior brand manager at Mondelez, said: “There are so many heart-warming aspects to what has happened this year and the way the country reacted to the pandemic was in true British playful fashion. We want to keep this spirit alive and Digitas has come up with a really fun way of doing this, continuing the successful strategy from our Stay Home Stay Playful work in the spring but keeping it fresh and relevant at the same time.” 

Lazaros Nikiforidis, ECD at Digitas, said: “This year has been incredibly hard on so many. And seeing the way everyone pulled together to find new moments of playful connection made us realise that if anything, Brits already know how to Stay Playful. So for us The Playful Network already exists everywhere. It’s you, me, gran, Jan & Frank over the road. The bloke on TikTok that sings Tina Turner. It’s all of us. Let’s celebrate that and lean into it. That’s what the Playful Network means.”