The Little Cookie With The Big Agenda

Oreo, the little cookie that saw us through childhood, a chocolate sandwich with just enough vanilla creme in the middle to break up what would have been otherwise a too-chocolaty taste, has lost its innocence. Traded in school cafeterias, found broken apart in sofas across the world, this popular cookie became, on June 25th, a symbol of Gay Pride.

To coincide with world-wide Gay Pride celebrations in late June, Kraft introduced a rainbow-colored filling for its iconic Oreo (no more plain Vanilla!). Quite striking, this untraditional Oreo was not intended for human consumption, but for its righteousness. Its sponsor, Kraft Food, was supporting gay rights and “proudly supporting love.” Oreo now had a platform.

The Little Cookie That Could

Kraft Food’s brand, with its 26 million fans, posted a status update for Oreo’s unique Advertising Campaign. “The Pride Cookie” in  17 hours, received over 30,000 comments, 200,000 likes, and 40,000 people shared the image. But it also sparked a controversy among Oreo’s followers. Some even threatened an Oreo boycott. One reader declared that the Oreo post was evidence of “more homosexuality shoved down our throats.” The “Sodomite Cookie.”

You Are What You Eat?

Typical of the battle between those who think companies should stay out of politics and those who think companies should be socially responsible, with the brand as a spokesperson, are commentators Nathanial Poling and Jessie Becker on Kraft’s Facebook page, June 26, 2012:

Nathanial Poling wrote:  “I guess all those people who voted for marriage amendments in numerous states don’t count as customers. Brands shouldn’t touch these issues.”

Jessie Becker retaliated:  “Why shouldn’t they, Nathanial? Because it seems like every time brand does, it’s in support of marriage equality? If a company specifically comes out against marriage equality (cough, Chick-Fil-A, cough), and you’re gay or have friends/family members who are, then that’s plenty of reason to stop using said company. On the other hand, if you stop using a company over their support of gay marriage, you have issues- it doesn’t affect you, it simply antagonized your (wrong) internal beliefs.”

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