The world’s number one cookie, Oreo, has been recognized as Georgia’s favorite after winning the most prestigious and influential local business award, the Golden Brand.
Davit Khutsishvili, brand manager of Biscuits category at Mondelēz International, the multinational food and beverage company based in the United States which owns Oreo, told Golden Brand that despite an “extremely tough” 2022, Mondelēz International had not only maintained leadership in the Georgian market with its Oreo brand but also “grew by double digits”.
2023 started with new products under the Oreo brand and new plans that the company will gradually reveal to Georgian customers.
Khutsishvili sat down with Golden Brand to talk about it all.
Q. Georgian customers have named Oreo their favorite brand this year. What brought Oreo this recognition in your opinion?
A. I would say that there were two key factors of our success — our disruptive innovations and marketing campaigns, and strong presence in-store. For example, last year our food-forward campaign “Crunchy creamy crunchy” helped us promote the key benefits of the product to our consumers.
Q. Golden Brand is given to brands following successful operations of the previous year. Please summarize 2022.
A. It was an extremely tough year for our team, but we managed to maintain leadership on the market, staying close to our consumers in Georgia
Q. Can you share the sales statistics of 2022 compared to 2021?
A. Being a public company we cannot disclose specific figures, but I can say that Oreo grew by double digits in our country last year.
Q. How has 2023 begun for your company, and what are your expectations?
A. We started this year with the gaming NCP oriented toward the young generation who are keen on cybersports. We launched a promo with attractive prizes like gaming laptops, mouses, keyboards and earphones.
This was followed by the Oreo Double Fun campaign – we presented our customers cookies with two mixed tastes: vanilla with caramel and vanilla with raspberry. This campaign is being supported by 360° marketing support in TVC, in-store, digital and social media.
Q. What are some recent developments in Oreo as a brand? Please share the brand’s progress on the Georgian market.
A. Oreo is the #1 cookie in the world. It is also known as the most “playful” cookie in the world, and we’ve been customizing this approach to our consumers in Georgia.
Q. Please tell us about the future plans of Oreo for the Georgian market. Do you plan to introduce new products to Georgia and which would those be?
A. Yes, we’ve got a pipeline of innovations on our table, but we cannot disclose the details. Please stay tuned and look forward to news from Oreo!
Q. How are you going to deepen Oreo’s presence on the Georgian market? What is the company’s growth strategy for Georgia?
A. Our key strategy is to be close to our Georgian consumers — both psychological and physical availability in-store, so that every consumer can find Oreo at the right place and at the right time.
Q. Please tell us what makes Oreo unique and why Georgian customers love it.
A. Oreo is not an ordinary cookie, it’s a legend. It’s also the most playful cookie and a global icon for all generations in Georgia.
Q. Not all Oreo flavors can be found in Georgia. Why?
A. At the moment we are focused on establishing and developing our core cookie business in Georgia. All the core flavors are available in the country, and we are adding new SKUs to our portfolio. The recent Double Fun launch is one example of expanding our brand portfolio in Georgia.
Q. International media write that Mondelēz International wants Oreo to become the “Coca-Cola of cookies”, and based on comments at a New York conference in March, it’s making progress. What do you think?
A. Oreo is the most famous cookie in the world, and we want our legendary cookie to figure in collaborations around the world. For example, in recent years Oreo has partnered with such global icons as Lady Gaga, Batman, Xbox etc. – we definitely want to push our brand power however high it can go.
Q. Will Mondelēz develop its cake and pastry department? What prospects do you see in this category?
A. Yes, we see a huge potential in the development of the bakery category in our countries. That is why this year we have completed the integration of the European snack maker Chipita business with its famous 7 Days croissants. We are going to increase focus on this brand in Georgia to drive growth in the pastry category.
