Welcome to "Oreophoria," the Gold Award-winning campaign from Southern Methodist University! Imagine a world where every Oreo twist unlocks a new realm of cookie magic. Madison Otero and Savanna Hodes from Southern Methodist University have reimagined Oreo's universe, creating a fantastical land filled with Oreo wonders. Guided by Professor Willie Baronet, their vibrant and dreamy campaign features giant cyclopean flowers, Oreo snowmen, and even unicorns pooping Oreos. It's playful, imaginative, and genuinely delightful—turning every dunk and bite into a joyride.

By: Madison Otero, Former Student and Creative Copy Intern, adam&eveDDB, & Savanna Hodes, Student, Southern Methodist University

SMU Students Take Oreo to a New Level of Euphoria

When we chose Oreo as our client, we almost immediately came up with the idea for an Oreoverse. Coincidentally, two weeks into developing our concept, Oreo launched their version of the Oreoverse, which told us that we were on the right track (great minds?) but needed to alter the lens through which we were viewing our world. However, after seeing Oreo’s execution, we saw how one concept can tell two completely different stories and lead to two completely different results. Oreo’s metaverse experience, though brilliant, was nothing like the fantastical world we had envisioned where unicorns pooped Oreos into a generous mouth. It was then that we decided we needed to invent a new name, one that more specifically encapsulated the colorful and euphoric Oreo world we had been dreaming up. Ultimately, we realized we should be thankful for the release of the Oreoverse because it pushed us to make our Oreo utopia, or should we say, Oreophoria, bolder, brighter, and better than before.

Everyone on the planet (or most of us) knows the lifelong joy of eating Oreos, so, unlike many clients, our goal was not to educate. Our goal was to imagine something different, to put our own unique twist on an already cherished brand with great advertising by creating a world that people of all ages could resonate with and that reminds them of that euphoric feeling. One of the biggest perks of being a student is taking BIG risks and exploring ideas you might not be able to try in the real world with an actual client and a real brief (that you don’t write yourself). So when we took another look at our idea of a unicorn pooping Oreos and the euphoric feeling both it and Oreos gave us, we realized we should have named our campaign Oreophoria all along. 

From the first round of concepts, we saw visions of a world where everything was over-the-top, dreamy, and vibrant… with a hint of (mu)shrooms. In our Oreo world, there were giant, colorful cyclopes flowers next to Oreo snowmen dipping in milk, paying homage to their famous mantra, “Milk’s favorite cookie,” and flying piggy banks that ran, or should we say flew, wild on a sugar rush high in the sky, literally. We can’t tell you how many hours we each spent drawing out potential ideas in different illustration styles with different color palettes and playing with and without copy, often to no avail. This project helped us realize that illustrating and designing our own campaign was no easy feat and that it took time and dedication to see the idea through. We could have never imagined how many versions of each illustration we would ultimately do. Thankfully, our devoted professor, Willie, had no reservations about suggesting changes no matter how often we did them. And we have to say; we’re lucky he did because he pushed us to be the creatives we knew we could be, and we could not be more grateful. We would be lying if we said the process was all sunshine and rainbows, especially with two illustrators; we worked long hours together drawing and redrawing until our illustration styles matched up. But once they did, we were off to the races. Once we saw even a trace of our ideas taking shape, our determination to accomplish what we set out to do never faltered. We worked tirelessly, even while working on separate campaigns, until we (and our guiding hand, Willie) felt that every element in each illustration truly embodied the feeling of Oreophoria. We wanted to offer a different take on the genius tagline Oreo has had for years, “Stay Playful,” and see if it accomplished what we wanted it to. We hoped that, with our campaign, we could show or remind everyone who came across it how euphoric eating a good cookie can feel.

When we finally completed our illustrations, part of us couldn’t believe it. For almost a year (yes, a year), we watched our ideas come to life as we nitpicked and fine-tuned until we felt we had perfected even the smallest details. We even decided to put little “easter eggs” in each illustration that ties the worlds together. We wanted it to be as extravagant and unexpected as we envisioned, and our work was not done until we (and Willie) felt we had achieved that. Since our first day working on Oreophoria, visions of our work being displayed in Times Square, where little kids smiled and pointed, entranced by the world we had dreamt up. That vision, which we would often replay in our minds, was enough to keep us going. This leads us to what we believe is an important piece of advice for any budding creative: persevere, don’t give up on your ideas when things get hard or take longer to develop, and though it may feel hard to believe at times, your hard work will pay off. All you need to achieve your goals is passion and dedication to your work, your ideas, and the power of advertising as a whole. Most importantly, always remember to dream big and explore every idea because it is in the unexpected and the bold where the true magic happens. 

We’ve loved seeing the smiles our campaign has brought to the faces of our family, friends, and even new acquaintances. We loved using our love of Oreos and advertising to inspire real emotions in others. Having been given this opportunity to share our ideas and stories with more of the world is a privilege that we feel incredibly honored to have been selected for. Advertising design isn’t for the faint of heart, but making work that gets a powerful reaction is, what we have discovered, to be one of the most rewarding feelings you can get. We truly believe in advertising’s ability to connect people to ideas and people to people, and in turn, the power to change the world for the better. It is because of that belief and our talented, big-hearted professors at SMU that we strive to create the best work we can, especially when it gets complicated. To Willie, who constantly told us how much he believed in our campaign, we hope you know how lucky we feel to have had you there, pushing us to produce the best work that you knew we could. We have been more than fortunate to be a part of such an amazing program with truly the most selfless, dedicated, one-of-a-kind teachers who have made a lasting impact on every student whose life they have been a part of. We are immensely grateful for the lifelong friendships and amazing mentors we have found in Willie Baronet and Mark Allen.

About Madison Otero

Yes, I’m a (passenger) princess. I’m also very pale. I wouldn’t say I’m easily convinced, but I’m not—not gullible.  I’m half Kiwi. The nationality, not the fruit. Unpopular Opinion: Pepsi > Coke. Ever tried running on a treadmill with three people? Don’t. I don’t have a favorite color, but yes, if you put a gun to my head, I would pick yellow. Maddie Patty Pudding Pie fell into a koi pond when she was eight and has been terrified of big fish ever since. I promise that I’m gonna do my very best, and that ain’t no lie if you put me to the test if you let me try.

Social: Instagram, LinkedIn

About Savanna Hodes

I’m Savanna Hodes, the girl who moved from South Africa at 18 to get the whole American college experience. I’m hooked and never want to leave. Not only am I passionate about creativity and saying hello to every dog that walks past me, but I also have the world’s biggest sweet tooth—pretty ironic for a gym bunny, but it’s boring being normal anyway. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum. From dressing up as a Spider-Man for Halloween to getting my black belt in karate when all my friends wore pink tutus. I’ve never been afraid to create my own path in life. I love talking and would love the opportunity to speak to you.

To sum myself up in 3 words: Chocoholic, shopaholic, and workaholic—the most important!

Social: LinkedIn

Discover other New Talent 2024 winners here.