Mondelez International announced it will host an Oreo Trending Vending Lounge, a space that will deliver deliciously hyper-personalized and customized snacks based on real-time data collection, for South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival attendees. This creative space is made possible by the Oreo Trending Vending Machine, a new way of imagining the future of snacking distribution and consumer engagement through increasing connectivity and customization.
"Trending Vending is about connecting with consumers in an innovative way by enabling them to use unique Oreo flavors and colors to design and customize their snacks using the latest technology," said Bonin Bough, vice president of global media and consumer engagement at Mondelez International, in a prepared statement. "We're also revolutionizing the distribution process by creating the cookies in real time with experimental 3D printing technology. This is just another example of Oreo setting the pace and creating history-making moments online. Now, we're connecting trending moments to the cookie itself in real time and in real life."
Powered by Twitter, two custom-made vending machines will enable SXSW attendees to create and eat custom Oreo cookies based on trending social conversations. To start, users browse a selection of "trending flavors" displayed on a large touch screen panel on the front of the machine. Users choose from 12 flavors and colors of creme and then watch as their unique Oreo cookies are built. Custom-created by MAYA Design, a technology design firm and innovation lab, the experimental machines use 3D printing technology to assemble the Oreo cookies in less than two minutes. Consumers everywhere can follow the conversation using the Twitter hashtag #eatthetweet.
"Mondelez International continues to push the boundaries of digital creativity by using technologies like Twitter to bridge real-world events with online conversations," said Ross Hoffman, director of U.S. brand strategy at Twitter. "Giving SXSW attendees the ability to transform and customize something as iconic as an Oreo cookie, simply by tweeting, is very exciting."
Janda Lukin, senior director Oreo at Mondelez International, added, "Oreo Trending Vending is another example of our continued commitment to providing consumers with unique experiences and delicious ways to engage with Oreo on and offline. We're excited to see how social trends and our cookies intersect in the real world at SXSW Interactive."
The Oreo Trending Vending Lounge provides a delicious snacking experience for SXSW Interactive Festival attendees by featuring a display screen showcasing tweets using the #eatthetweet hashtag and a milk bar serving a variety of milk types and flavors. Several Oreo cup containers will have a star printed on the bottom to signify that the user has won a prize. Winners can redeem the cups for prizes at the milk bar, including possible access to key SXSW events and SXSW-exclusive Oreo t-shirts. The space also includes a DJ, two free charging stations and free Wi-Fi.
The Oreo Trending Vending Lounge is open to all SXSW Interactive Festival attendees from noon to 7 p.m. CT on March 7 to 11. The lounge is located in the SXSW Gold Urban Oasis, at Trinity Street & Cesar Chavez in Austin, Texas.
