Dunk in the Dark
Oreo (Mondelēz)2013
Dunk in the Dark is a 2013 real-time tweet during the Super Bowl blackout for Oreo, created by 360i, New York.
Why it works
The most famous tweet in marketing. When the Superdome lost power during Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013, Oreo's pre-assembled war room — agency 360i, media shop and client in one room with standing approval — published a simple image within minutes: a lone Oreo in shadow, "You can still dunk in the dark." Fifteen thousand retweets later it had out-earned ads costing $4 million, and 'real-time marketing' became an industry obsession overnight. It is studied both as a case of preparation disguised as spontaneity — Oreo had spent a year practising daily cultural response with its 'Daily Twist' centenary campaign — and as a cautionary origin story: the thousands of forced brand-newsjacking tweets it inspired prove how rare the genuine conditions for the move actually are.
Techniques
- Real-time and newsjacking Within minutes of the stadium blackout during the big game, a pre-approved team posts a lone cookie in shadow, responding to the moment as it happens.
- Humour A quick, witty line turns the power cut into a reason to keep dunking, so the joke itself carries the product.
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