Oreo's 2019 Game of Thrones Title Sequence campaign by 360i recreated HBO's iconic opening using 2,750 embossed cookies and approximately 20 million cookie
ARCHIVEOreo Bends the Game of Thrones Title Sequence Into a Cookie Epic
Oreo's Game of Thrones Title Sequence is a 50-second stop-motion film produced by 360i and Elastic in April 2019 that recreated HBO's iconic opening credits using approximately 2,750 embossed Oreo cookies and around 20 million cookie crumbs to promote a limited-edition cookie line tied to the final season of the show.
The campaign launched in the United States in April 2019, timed precisely to the premiere of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones on April 14, 2019, as reported by Marketing Dive. Oreo, manufactured by Mondelēz International, partnered with HBO and Santa Monica-based design studio Elastic — the same studio responsible for the original Game of Thrones opening titles — to produce a frame-accurate, cookie-built homage to one of television's most recognisable title sequences. The creative partnership gave the execution an unusual layer of authenticity: Elastic was not merely referencing the original, it was recreating its own work in a radically different medium.
The limited-edition Oreo cookies at the campaign's centre featured embossed sigil designs representing four factions from the series: House Stark, House Targaryen, House Lannister, and the Night King and White Walkers, according to Marketing Dive. The 50-second film was distributed through digital and social channels across the US market, with a 15-second television adaptation placed during NCAA basketball coverage to extend reach. Distribution strategy was managed in collaboration with Weber Shandwick and VaynerMedia, broadening the campaign's media footprint beyond organic social amplification. The Clapboard Score for this campaign is 77 out of 100, reflecting strong creative craft and cultural relevance anchored by an unusually precise production concept.
Oreo identified a cultural moment of exceptional scale. The eighth season of Game of Thrones represented one of the most anticipated television events in US broadcast history, with the show's cultural saturation creating conditions where brand adjacency to the finale carried meaningful earned-media value. The strategic logic at 360i was not simply to license a popular property but to produce something that rewarded fans of the original with genuine creative fidelity.
In the United States, the cookies and crackers category demonstrated sustained commercial momentum heading into the campaign window. The US cookies market was valued at approximately $8.8 billion for the 52 weeks ending March 24, 2019, up around 2.6 percent year-over-year, according to Snack and Bakery. Within that competitive landscape, Oreo's parent company Mondelēz International held its position as the global leader in sweet biscuits by off-trade value in 2019, according to Scribd research citing category analysis. Key competitors including Pepperidge Farm's Milano range and Keebler's cookie portfolio competed for shelf prominence and cultural relevance, making Oreo's move to own a dominant cultural conversation a deliberate strategic differentiator rather than a purely creative exercise.
The decision to involve Elastic — the production company behind HBO's original title design — transformed what could have been a straightforward licensed promotion into a creator-endorsed reimagining. That distinction mattered to press and to fans. The campaign's social participation mechanic invited US audiences to select which House would claim the limited-edition Oreo packaging, adding a voter-engagement layer that extended dwell time with the brand beyond passive viewing of the film itself.
Elastic, the Santa Monica production and design studio, served as the production partner for the Oreo Game of Thrones Title Sequence, bringing direct institutional knowledge of the source material. Andy Hall served as Creative Director at Elastic on the campaign, with Kirk Shintani serving as Art Director and Head of 3D, according to Motion Awards 2020 and Stash Media. Ian Ruhfass led 3D production and Maciek Sokalski led 2D work, according to the same sources. At 360i, Piper Hickman and Wei Wei Dong served as Executive Creative Directors, according to Stash Media and Communication Arts.
The production methodology centred on stop-motion animation constructed entirely from physical Oreo cookies and cookie crumbs. Approximately 2,750 whole cookies were used alongside what the production team described as around 20 million cookie crumbs, according to Ads of the World and The Drum. The crumbs functioned as a granular surface medium, allowing the team to sculpt landmasses, castle ramparts, and rolling terrain that mirrored the CG environments of the original sequence. The formal ambition was to replicate the camera movement, pacing, and scene geography of Elastic's own original work — essentially translating a digital motion-graphics piece into a physical stop-motion equivalent.
Lime Studios contributed to the audio production dimension of the campaign, providing sound design that complemented the visual recreation. The 50-second cut was the primary creative vehicle, optimised for digital and social distribution in the United States, while the 15-second television cut was adapted for broadcast placement during NCAA basketball coverage, as reported by Marketing Dive. The compressed television version preserved the core visual concept while fitting the conventions of paid broadcast inventory.
ARCHIVENo independently verified sales figures for the limited-edition Oreo Game of Thrones cookies are publicly available. However, earned-media performance metrics for the campaign have been reported by multiple industry sources. The campaign generated more than 2,000 earned-media placements, according to Creative Pool. Social listening data cited by Ads of the World recorded 14,247 social mentions tracked in association with the campaign's release window in the United States.
Structurally, the campaign demonstrates several qualities that correlate with sustained cultural impact. The decision to engage Elastic — the originating studio behind the Game of Thrones titles — created a verifiable lineage between the brand film and its creative reference point, lending the work a credibility that purely imitative executions typically cannot achieve. The House-selection voting mechanic provided an interactive layer that extended audience engagement beyond passive consumption, a design choice well-suited to the participatory culture of the show's fanbase in the US market.
Press coverage spanning PR Week, Marketing Dive, Muse by Clios, and The Drum indicates that the campaign achieved widespread trade and consumer press pickup at launch, consistent with the 2,000-plus placement figure reported by Creative Pool. The campaign's distribution through VaynerMedia and Weber Shandwick across paid and earned channels in the United States reinforced organic momentum with structured amplification. As a creative work, the Oreo Game of Thrones Title Sequence earns its Clapboard Score of 77 out of 100 through the combination of production precision, institutional creative partnership, and a cultural timing strategy executed without ambiguity.
The Oreo Game of Thrones Title Sequence is a 50-second stop-motion film created by 360i and Elastic in April 2019. It recreated HBO's iconic opening credits using approximately 2,750 embossed Oreo cookies and around 20 million cookie crumbs to promote a limited-edition cookie range in the United States.
360i created the campaign for Oreo in 2019. The agency partnered with Santa Monica-based production studio Elastic, which also designed HBO's original Game of Thrones title sequence. Weber Shandwick and VaynerMedia supported distribution across earned and paid channels in the United States market.
Oreo released limited-edition cookies featuring embossed sigil designs representing four Game of Thrones factions. These were House Stark, House Targaryen, House Lannister, and the Night King and White Walkers, according to Marketing Dive. The cookies launched in the United States to coincide with the show's eighth and final season premiere.
Andy Hall served as Creative Director at Elastic on the production, with Kirk Shintani as Art Director and Head of 3D, according to Motion Awards 2020. Piper Hickman and Wei Wei Dong served as Executive Creative Directors at 360i, according to Stash Media and Communication Arts.
The Oreo Game of Thrones Title Sequence generated more than 2,000 earned-media placements, according to Creative Pool. Social listening data cited by Ads of the World also recorded 14,247 social mentions connected to the campaign's release in the United States in April 2019.
Elastic produced HBO's original Game of Thrones opening titles, making it the originating studio for the sequence being recreated. As reported by The Drum and PR Week, this creative lineage gave the Oreo film an institutional authenticity that a different production company could not have provided, distinguishing it from conventional licensed brand tie-ins.
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