"With snack competition so intense, which brand can still get distributors to proactively post on their Moments?" Scrolling through social media, I saw a distributor showing off Oreo's new packaging and photos of consumers pausing to pick products at the shelf, with the caption, "Oreo's upgrade this time has something to it." Upon deeper investigation, I found that in 2025, Oreo launched a new interpretation of its iconic brand ritual 'Twist, Lick, Dunk'—'Twist Your Perspective, Play with the World.' Not only has it maintained steady sales offline, but it has also sparked a 'playful stories' trend on Douyin, with users voluntarily sharing and participating in content co-creation. In an increasingly competitive leisure snack market and with young consumers' preferences constantly shifting, why does Oreo continue to break through? What is it doing right, and what insights does it offer the industry?
From 'Eating Cookies' to 'Seeing the World': Oreo Opens Emotional Expression with 'Playfulness' Over the past two decades, many FMCG brands have achieved high growth through channel density, awareness bombardment, and rapid product launches. But today, with user touchpoints increasingly fragmented and emotional expression more personalized, the shift from 'traffic dividends' to 'emotional dividends' is transforming brand growth logic. Oreo's 'Playfulness 3.0' is a proactive response to this trend: through concept upgrades, product design, and content expression, it has redefined the brand-user relationship. The first step from 'brand proposition' to 'user expression' is providing an entry point for emotions.
Redefining Playful: Not Teaching You How to Play, but Awakening How You See As a brand that has accompanied countless childhoods, Oreo has always insisted on playing with consumers. From the earlier 'New Partner' and 'Universe Limited' series, the brand has consistently built connections with consumers through content and emotion, encouraging users to embrace more possibilities. This time, Oreo returns to its most iconic brand action 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' with the new proposition 'Twist Your Perspective, Play with the World.' It no longer simply emphasizes 'fun' but elevates Playful into an emotional awareness, a subjective perspective on life. In a context of increasing anxiety and burnout, 'playfulness' is no longer superficial entertainment but a life attitude against mental exhaustion. The brand proposition 'Twist Your Perspective, Play with the World' reflects Oreo's deep insight into young people's emotional state—when individuals are caught in busyness and pressure, what they need most is the ability to actively switch perspectives. Oreo aims to play the role not of a preacher but of an old friend who gently nudges you, reminding you that 'you can see the world in a different way.'
Emotional Kaleidoscope: 9 Cookie Engravings Narrating Diverse Resonance Oreo has concretized 'playfulness' into 9 limited-edition cookie engravings. Each cookie can be twisted to reveal something different—patterns and emotions shift, constructing a lightweight yet precise expression system. It is no longer just a snack but an emotional carrier that can be 'told.'
- 'MOM⇌WOW': With a gentle twist, from 'Mom' to 'Wow.' This is not just a child's moment of awe for their mother but a clever deconstruction of contemporary motherhood's complexity. It hits the tension mothers feel between society's expectation of 'great sacrifice' and their pursuit of their own 'wow' moments, gently reminding that beyond the mother identity, the shining 'true self' deserves to be seen and celebrated. This cookie is a silent support for millions of mothers who refuse to be defined.
- 'Old Man⇌Boy': Between twists, age constraints are broken, and eternal playfulness emerges: 'old man' instantly becomes 'boy.' This is not simply 'acting young' but sharply piercing society's stereotypical views on age. It responds to the overlooked emotional needs of the silver-haired generation—behind the term 'old child' lies recognition of their still-vibrant curiosity, adventurous spirit, and desire for expression. It encourages everyone: wrinkles may appear on the face, but playfulness can forever live in the heart. These engravings are not designed for a specific group but provide a low-barrier, tangible emotional expression carrier for you, me, and everyone in different life states and stages. They do not offer standard answers but provide a possibility of 'perspective shift,' allowing each person to find their own narrative slice.
User Co-creation Breaks Boundaries: Brand Steps Back, Expression Left to Users In this content era where 'the right to express is the power to spread,' a thousand words from the brand are less effective than one word from a user. This time, Oreo chose to step back and hand over the right to express to users—9 Douyin KOLs interpreted their own 'playful stories.' Image source: Douyin: @樱桃马天妮; @小麦; @易哥Eason; @张阿福; @智博; @周周啊 Not uniform seeding copy but emotional fragments from real life. For example, @小麦's interpretation of the 'MOM⇌WOW' engraving does not praise a mother's great sacrifice but uses highly relatable, even 'messy' contrasts (the ideal mother waking at 5 to make breakfast vs. the reality of waking at 7:30 to an alarm; the ideal of arriving first at school vs. the reality of arriving after the gates close) to show the daily life of an 'imperfect mother.' The real Magic Twist appears when the daughter hands over the 'MOM⇌WOW' cookie. The daughter's words, 'You're the most WOW mom, and my best playmate!' instantly hit the point. Those 'helpless' moments of the mother accompanying her child in the rain on a bike, making colorful wigs, and riding roller coasters are reinterpreted through the twist of the cookie as 'WOW' shining moments—not a perfect mother template but a precious partner willing to 'play together' with her child. The brand did not define a 'good mother,' but mother and daughter, through real interaction, completed the most touching definition: companionship is 'WOW.' Image source: Douyin: @小麦 Another example is @康康和爷爷, who used 'Old Man⇌Boy' to interpret the awakening of playfulness in the silver-haired generation. The story begins with the grandfather refusing to go out because he dislikes his 'old man's shirt.' A simple twist becomes the switch for his mindset change. After changing into trendy clothes, the old man instantly transforms into an 'old urchin,' eagerly dragging his grandson to the amusement park. Without deliberate sentimentality, the pure joy the grandfather releases at the amusement park, along with his simple words, 'Wrinkles grow on the face, not on the heart!' , become the most powerful footnote to 'No matter the age, playfulness is forever.' Image source: Douyin: @康康和爷爷 The brand provides a 'perspective shift' opportunity through the cookie, and users, through real cross-generational interaction, turn 'Old Man⇌Boy' from a symbol into a vibrant life attitude. When the brand no longer dominates expression but inspires users to tell their own stories, every video and every share becomes an increment to brand equity. This 'user co-creation' also enables the brand to truly 'break boundaries.' It can be said that 'Playfulness 3.0' is not a simple visual refresh or marketing action but Oreo's key first step in building an 'emotional interface' from 'emotional insight' through dual product and content drive. It provides consumers with a lightweight, participatory 'perspective switcher,' turning 'seeing the world from a different angle' from a slogan into an experience and shareable action.
Three Evolutions of 'Playfulness': How Oreo Grows with Chinese Consumers
If 'Playfulness 3.0' is an upgrade in emotional expression, looking back at Oreo's 30-year journey in China reveals this is no accident—it is the result of the brand's consistent 'emotional understanding.' In stages 1.0 and 2.0, Oreo was already laying the foundation for 'today's Oreo.'
1.0 Era (1996-2009): 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' Enters Families, Creating Ritualistic Eating
Oreo used the 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' three-step method to create an unprecedented snack ritual for children at the time—not just biting into it but 'twist it open, lick the cream, then dunk it in milk.' Each step extended the flavor layers and prolonged the enjoyment. A single cookie thus offered multiple textures, breaking the impression of snacks as 'eat casually and be done,' and refreshing people's imagination of deliciousness. Oreo became the 'most playful' snack in countless children's memories—because it made eating a snack something to look forward to, show off, and even share.
2.0 Era (2010-2024): Parent-Child Interaction Warms Up, Strengthening Family Emotional Value
When the first generation of Oreo 'fans' began starting families, Oreo saw the emotional need for parent-child companionship and quietly made a turn, proposing the brand proposition 'Twist Open a Parent-Child Moment.' From launching family share packs to creative ads and themed micro-films, Oreo was no longer just a children's snack but a playful scene for parent-child co-creation. 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' became a relaxed, equal, and wordless tacit interaction in parent-child relationships. Often, it is the children teaching adults how to eat Oreo: 'You have to twist first, then lick, otherwise it's not right!' Quietly, the brand let 'playfulness' cross age boundaries, adding understanding and companionship through laughter to intergenerational relationships.
3.0 Era (Present): For All People, Linking Social Emotions and Individual Expression
Today, 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' no longer belongs only to childhood moments, and Oreo no longer defines who the target audience is; instead, it is reverse-defined and repeatedly interpreted by users. It understands the diversity and complexity of contemporary society—some pursue self, some are forced to bear pressure, some strive to be seen. Oreo, with an equal and gentle action, softly tells them: every state deserves understanding, and every playful heart can be caught. From the 'premium snack' in children's eyes in the 1990s to the emotional expression medium for Gen Z today, Oreo's three 'playful evolutions' behind the brand is a process of 'playing together' with Chinese consumers again and again—the classic action remains unchanged, but the meaning it carries changes.
How Can a Brand Become an Emotional Asset? Oreo Offers a 'Usable' Answer
1. Starting from User Experience: 30 Years of Continuous 'Mind-Reading' Is the Confidence for Brand Expression
Oreo's understanding of Chinese consumers goes far beyond 'tasty.' Users are willing to 'express themselves with Oreo' not because of a one-off marketing success but because of the brand's deep perception of social emotions, intergenerational psychology, and cultural context over 30 years. From the 'childhood happiness code' of the 1990s, to the 'parent-child companionship symbol' of the 2000s, to the current cross-age 'emotional expression interface,' Oreo has never stopped asking about 'users' current state'—how different eras understand happiness, how they express themselves, and how they seek emotional outlets in fast-paced life. It is this continuous evolution from sensory pleasure to psychological resonance that has enabled it to achieve the identity leap from 'delicious' to 'usable' in the Chinese market: not just a tasty snack but a carrier of daily emotions.
2. Starting from Consumers' Big Emotions: In a Fast-Paced Era, 'Lightweight Joy Resonance' Is Needed More
In today's 'everyone is a bit tired' era, what truly moves people is not grand narratives but a little 'just right' understanding. When expression becomes a user's instinct, the brand is no longer a content creator but an emotional resonator—physically playable, emotionally shareable, and value-resonant. Oreo does not offer standard-answer happiness but encourages everyone to project their own state. It is not an escape from reality but a small 'space where you have the say' left in reality—this is the psychological foundation of 'playfulness' against burnout. This 'lightweight resonance' is precisely the most irreplaceable emotional value in fast-paced life.
3. Starting from Sales Logic: Satisfying Emotions Is the Most Conversion-Driven Value Delivery
When consumers gain real emotional value from a brand, purchase is not just a 'functional choice' but an endorsement of 'self-expression.' What Oreo sells is never just a cookie but a life attitude that responds to 'burnout' with 'playfulness,' expressing 'I define my own happiness.' Therefore, the brand does not need to push hard but can be spontaneously 'put into the shopping cart' by consumers—it comes from resonance, not volume. This ability to 'drive sales with emotion' has become the new certainty logic in the FMCG industry: brand power is resonance power, content is sales, and scenarios are conversion. For this reason, 'playfulness' is no longer just the brand's marketing language but an emotional habit and expression method co-built by consumers and Oreo. It is not the end of a campaign but a continuously callable 'happiness formula'—this is also the fundamental reason Oreo has not fallen behind in 30 years.
Final Thoughts People's desire for happiness has never changed, only the ways of expression keep evolving. From 'delicious' to 'usable,' from 'brand communication' to 'user self-use,' Oreo has completed the leap from IP asset to expression interface. This leap is not achieved through temporary traffic but built on 30 years of 'companionship' and 'mind-reading.' On one hand, it uses the classic eating ritual 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' as an unchanging emotional anchor, firmly guarding the shared emotional memories of three generations; at the same time, it provides a light expression carrier for ever-changing individual emotions through continuous product innovation and interactive gameplay, encouraging consumers to release their playfulness and play together. When a brand is willing to use 'unchanging ritual' to guard 'ever-changing emotional needs' and use the micro-innovation of 'one cookie' to carry thousands of life attitudes, 'playfulness' is no longer a marketing label but a cross-generational 'emotional resonance asset.' This may also be the reason Oreo remains 'capable'—the cookies on the shelf may update their packaging, but the 'happiness formula' in consumers' hands never expires. After all, who would refuse an old friend who has seriously played with you for 30 years?