Oreo is at the forefront of pop culture. They’re part of the biggest social events and social movements today. Is this because they’re a delicious snack treat? No. It’s because they’re marketing is built around the most-talked about issues and events in a way that is visual, simple and sharable. Here are three lessons on how to emulate Oreo and piggy-back off of popular topics of interest. 1. Don’t be afraid to take a stand Oreo entered itself into the political arena’s most heated debate with a simple picture of a rainbow coloured cookie. It became a symbol of the sexual equality movement and has been referenced in hundreds of articles. It has become a political statement simply to eat an Oreo (as opposed to the usual way of voting in an election). The original post on Facebook received over 150,000 Likes and 20,000 comments – giving Oreo a massive boost throughout the social sphere. While political stands may be a little bit spicy for your brand, look for less controversial ways to strike an opinion. Choose a social cause you believe in and show your support for it in your marketing. This could include things like education, homelessness, and environmental issues where it’s easy to steer clear of negative reviews 2. Associate your brand with a piece of popular culture Two things have garnered a ton of press because of the Curiosity rover landing on Mars: The Nasa Mohawk Guy http://bit.ly/OjaeVY and Oreo. Their red Oreo with tire tracks running over it was simple, obvious and fun. This is the perfect combination to get people sharing about you. When you’re trying to piggy-back off of current events you need to publish something that people understand instantly, which isn’t always easy. Use visual symbols and cues that are easy for people to associate with, and incorporate your branding into them to make yourself a part of the conversation. Simply posting a picture of Curiosity’s latest image from the surface of Mars would have garnered zero traffic for Oreo. 3. Be the source of news & insight, not just a passive commentator Did you know it’s Elvis Week this week? And that August 11th was National Bowling Day? Because I didn’t. But Oreo is quickly becoming a great source of interesting tidbits of info that I like to check out – especially because they use their cookies in such cool ways to showcase the events. Understand the events and topics that your target market cares about and make yourself an information source. You can find your own sources of information to make your posts about by searching topics on the blog database Alltop.com. This won’t give you direct sales, but it will drive traffic to your website and your customers will keep you in the back of their mind throughout the day.