Understanding consumer minds
What Oreos and your customer engagement strategy have in common
Key Takeaways
- Consumer product companies invest heavily in understanding behavioral psychology
- The same behavioral principles that sell cookies can improve payment engagement
- Habit formation, sensory experience, and emotional connection drive consumer behavior
- Service providers can learn from CPG companies' sophisticated behavioral strategies
At first glance, Oreos and customer engagement strategies seem to have nothing in common. One is a beloved cookie, the other is a business process. But look deeper, and you'll find they're both built on the same foundation: a deep understanding of human psychology and behavior.
Consumer packaged goods companies like Nabisco spend millions researching exactly how to make their products irresistible. The lessons they've learned about consumer minds apply directly to customer engagement—particularly when it comes to encouraging payment behavior.
The Science of Irresistibility
Why are Oreos so popular? It's not accidental. Every aspect of the Oreo experience is carefully engineered based on behavioral science:
The Perfect Sensory Experience
The contrast between the crispy cookie and creamy filling triggers multiple pleasure receptors. The "twist, lick, dunk" ritual creates a memorable multi-sensory experience. Even the sound of opening the package is designed to signal indulgence.
Habit Formation Through Ritual
The famous "twist, lick, dunk" behavior isn't just a marketing tagline—it's a habit-forming ritual that makes consuming Oreos feel special and personal. Rituals create emotional connections that drive repeat behavior.
Emotional Nostalgia
Oreos tap into childhood memories and feelings of comfort. This emotional resonance creates loyalty that goes beyond taste preference.
The Lesson for Customer Engagement
Just as Oreos create an irresistible experience through sensory design, ritual, and emotion, effective customer engagement should make payment feel easy, familiar, and even positive.
Behavioral Principle 1: Reduce Friction
Oreos are easy to eat. You don't need utensils, preparation, or clean-up. The barrier to consumption is minimal.
The Oreo Approach
- Convenient packaging that's easy to open and reseal
- No preparation required
- Portable and shelf-stable
- Perfect portion size for a quick treat
Application to Payment Engagement
Make payment as frictionless as possible:
- One-click payment options
- Pre-filled payment amounts
- Saved payment methods
- Mobile-optimized payment experiences
- Clear, simple instructions with minimal steps
Every additional click, form field, or decision point reduces completion rates. Just as Oreo removes barriers to eating, remove barriers to paying.
Behavioral Principle 2: Create Positive Associations
Oreos aren't marketed as "cookies"—they're positioned as moments of happiness, family time, and treat-yourself indulgence. The emotional association is more powerful than the product itself.
The Oreo Approach
Oreo's advertising focuses on joy, playfulness, and connection. They've created an emotional brand that goes far beyond the functional benefit of satisfying hunger.
Application to Payment Engagement
Transform payment from a chore into something positive:
- Celebrate on-time payments with positive reinforcement
- Frame payment as maintaining financial health, not just avoiding penalties
- Use encouraging, supportive language rather than threatening or demanding tone
- Show progress toward account goals
- Acknowledge customer effort: "Thank you for taking care of this"
When customers associate payment with positive feelings rather than stress, they're more likely to engage proactively.
Behavioral Principle 3: Leverage the Power of Habit
Oreo's "twist, lick, dunk" ritual turns eating into a habit. Habits don't require conscious decision-making—they happen automatically.
The Oreo Approach
By creating and marketing a consumption ritual, Oreo transformed occasional snacking into a habitual behavior with a specific routine.
Application to Payment Engagement
Help customers build payment habits:
- Consistent payment reminders at the same time each billing cycle
- Auto-pay options that eliminate decision-making
- Recurring payment dates that align with paydays
- Predictable communication patterns customers can rely on
When payment becomes habitual rather than deliberate, it happens more consistently and with less stress.
Behavioral Principle 4: Personalization Drives Connection
Oreo has released hundreds of flavors and varieties—birthday cake, red velvet, pumpkin spice, even wasabi. They understand that different consumers want different experiences.
The Oreo Approach
Rather than one product for everyone, Oreo creates varieties that appeal to different preferences, occasions, and moods. Limited editions create excitement and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Application to Payment Engagement
Personalize the payment experience:
- Offer multiple payment options (full amount, payment plan, custom amount)
- Allow customers to choose their preferred due date
- Customize communication channel based on preference
- Tailor messaging to individual circumstances and account history
- Provide relevant assistance based on past behavior
One-size-fits-all engagement is like offering only one Oreo variety—it misses opportunities to connect with diverse customer needs.
Behavioral Principle 5: Social Proof Influences Behavior
Oreo leverages social proof through its massive social media presence and user-generated content. When millions of people share Oreo moments, it reinforces that eating Oreos is normal, fun, and socially acceptable.
The Oreo Approach
Oreo encourages customers to share their Oreo experiences on social media, creating a sense that "everyone" enjoys Oreos. This social validation makes the product more appealing.
Application to Payment Engagement
Use social proof to encourage payment:
- "9 out of 10 customers in your situation successfully resolved their account"
- "Join thousands of customers who have set up convenient payment plans"
- "Most customers with similar accounts maintain good standing by..."
Knowing that others in similar circumstances pay successfully reduces anxiety and normalizes the desired behavior.
Behavioral Principle 6: Choice Architecture Matters
Go to any grocery store and you'll find Oreos at eye level, in the cookie aisle, and often in prominent end-cap displays. The way choices are presented dramatically affects what people choose.
The Oreo Approach
Strategic product placement makes Oreos easy to find and purchase. The packaging is designed to stand out. Family packs, single-serve options, and variety packs provide choice while guiding decisions.
Application to Payment Engagement
Design payment choices thoughtfully:
- Present the recommended payment amount prominently (but allow customization)
- Order payment options from easiest to most complex
- Use visual design to highlight the preferred path
- Limit choices to prevent decision paralysis (3-4 options maximum)
- Make the default option the one most likely to succeed
How you present payment options influences which option customers choose and whether they choose at all.
Behavioral Principle 7: Consistency Builds Trust
An Oreo tastes the same whether you buy it in New York or Los Angeles, today or next year. This consistency builds trust and reduces decision anxiety.
The Oreo Approach
Consistent product quality, packaging, and experience across markets and time periods creates reliability that customers count on.
Application to Payment Engagement
Be consistent in your customer engagement:
- Maintain predictable communication patterns
- Use consistent tone and messaging across all channels
- Apply policies fairly and transparently
- Follow through on commitments
- Provide reliable customer service
Inconsistency creates confusion and erodes trust. Customers who trust their provider are more likely to engage proactively when issues arise.
The Surprising Connection
What Oreos and customer engagement strategies truly have in common is this: success comes from deeply understanding human psychology and designing experiences that work with how people naturally think and behave, not against it.
Consumer product companies invest heavily in this understanding because their success depends on it. Service providers and collection teams should do the same.
Putting It Into Practice
You don't need Nabisco's research budget to apply these principles:
- Reduce friction in your payment process—eliminate every unnecessary step
- Create positive associations with payment through supportive communication
- Build habits through consistency and predictability
- Personalize to individual customer needs and preferences
- Leverage social proof to normalize desired behaviors
- Design choice architecture that guides customers to successful outcomes
- Be consistent to build trust and reduce anxiety
Conclusion
The next time you reach for an Oreo, remember: that seemingly simple cookie represents decades of behavioral research and psychological understanding. The same principles that make Oreos irresistible can make your customer engagement strategy more effective.
By understanding consumer minds—how people make decisions, form habits, respond to choices, and experience emotion—you can create engagement experiences that customers actually respond to. That's the real lesson Oreos have to teach us.
