New Oreos, When Dunked, Create Blue Swirls

Egads! Nabisco's marketing people indicate that 30% if its "users" dunk, and now the East Hanover, NJ-based baking company has a way to leverage pent-up demand for something—anything—new and potentially exciting: Oreo Magic Dunkers.

In the latest twist from the baker's "What'll they think of Next" department, the new cookies create swirls of blue milk when dunked. The company reports that the Magic Dunkers received the highest concept scores ever for the brand, with eight out of 10 children giving the product rave reviews.

Today, Nabisco said it is targeting the cookies at kids and billing them as "interactive" for their added dimension of …fun. The limited-edition cookies will roll into stores beginning Apr. 24, with a 20-oz package selling at a suggested retail price of $3.69.

It's just the latest way for Nabisco to constantly stay top-of-mind with consumers, said Archie Mack, Oreo business director. "Because Oreo fans have a great sense of fun and adventure when it comes to eating the cookie, we have the opportunity to be extremely creative when developing ideas that, ultimately, can impact the entire snacking industry."

Nabisco technologists are said to have spent more than a year perfecting the blue milk effect, which does not change the milk or the cookies' flavor. The more you dunk, the bluer your milk will turn. The coloring "is safe and easily washes off … just like the coloring used in ice pops and candies," said Nabisco Senior Food Technologist Jessica Aronofsky in today's announcement.

Nabisco also released Oreo consumer preference results today:

• 35% of respondents twist their Oreo cookies, while 30% dunk and 10% nibble.
  
• 71% of all nibblers are women.
  
• Women prefer twisting, men prefer dunking, while children's inquisitive nature makes them predominantly twisters, but they often re-sandwich the cookie, after licking the creme center, to dunk.
  
• Chicago and Philly are dunking cities, as are Buffalo and New Orleans.
  
• New York City, Las Vegas and Nashville are twisting towns.

Mack added: "Oreo is a huge business for Nabisco with over a half billion dollars in sales. It's 88 years old, and to keep a brand like this growing and fresh with consumers we need exciting, fun, new ideas. New twists like Oreo Stacking, Don't Eat the Winning Oreo and now Magic Dunkers really keep the brand fresh, alive and growing."

The Oreo brand has experienced double-digit growth for the past three years.

The launch of Oreo Magic Dunkers will be supported with a television advertising campaign created by FCB New York that begins airing on April 24, 2000. In addition, a freestanding insert (FSI) in Sunday newspaper circulars will appear in May.