Have you heard about the new pickup trucks on the market like the Ford Maverick? Most people have at this point due to the creative marketing tactics used by brands. Most recently, Ford partnered with Oreo to create a snack fit for truck lovers and everyone else, too.

The Ford Maverick Oreo connection

What does the Ford Maverick have to do with Oreos, you might ask? According to The Detroit Free Press, quite a bit. Katie Pecoraro, Maverick program management supervisor, noted that the team worked tirelessly to whip up the Ford Maverick in a condensed timeline. “We cut 20 months out of the usual time frame for a product life cycle,” Pecoraro said.

At the Ford Product Development Center complex off Village Road in Dearborn, Michigan, the team worked hard behind the scenes to develop the new truck. Chris Mazur led a group of about 60 people to develop the truck’s design, product, purchasing, and supply chain strategies.

The development team wanted to work quickly before the news got out about the Maverick. Due to the fast-paced nature of the project, the group had extra snacks on hand to make it through. Pecoraro told the paper, “This being a go-fast product, we used different ways of working to be more efficient and effective. High-level management members came to us to work through milestones, rather than going through months of a different cadence.”

The offical snack of the Ford Maverick

The team worked on a tight schedule to get the truck into development. This is where the Oreos came in. Pecoraro tried to find creative ways to keep the team focused and happy as the deadlines approached, and Oreos happened to be a part of that. She made cakes, cookies, corned beef on St. Patrick’s day, and even a chili cook-off. But Oreos seemed to be the primary staff snack staple.

In the final weeks, the Maverick team went through 100 packages of Oreos. The packages ended up taped to the wall as a sort of makeshift trophy. When Oreo heard about the sandwich cookie obsession, the company included Ford in the “Oreo Thins Protection Program.” This program is meant to protect Oreos from sneaky eaters by hiding the cookie in inconspicuous packaging, such as a Ford Maverick owner’s manual.

“Ford is one of the most recognizable and popular vehicle brands in America, making it a great partner for this campaign. Unless cookie thieves have a special interest in vehicle mechanics, they won’t be snooping through the glove compartment or think twice about seeing the spine of the all-new Ford Maverick owner’s manual in their vehicle.”

Sydney Kranzmann | Oreo brand manager

Not bad, Oreo. Not bad.

Biden and the Ford F-150 Lightning marketing

Companies have gotten pretty creative with marketing these days. Earlier this year, the Ford F-150 Lightning even used President Biden as a marketing tool. Ford brought the Lightning to Biden, and the world watched as he drove it around in a parking lot. This created a ton of buzz around the new electric truck as the U.S. continues to push American-made electric vehicles.

While these marketing tactics might be a bit unorthodox, it seems to be working just fine. The Ford Maverick and Ford F-150 Lightning are everywhere. If that means eating Oreos and watching President Biden drive the F-150 around, then so be it. Feel free to send some Oreos our way for testing purposes.