Top 8 Oreo Competitors

Alright, we all love snacking here and there whether it is in-between meals or instead of food because we are lazy to cook. Imagine a breezy winter morning, you have just got out of bed, you crave something sweet. A nice glass of warm milk and these flavorful chocolate biscuits are the perfect combinations for a scenario like such. That just gave away what we are going to be talking about today, didn’t it? Yes, absolutely, you are right! We are discussing Oreos. However, this time, we are going to compare the marketing strategies of this brand with its competitors.

Which are Oreo’s direct and indirect competitors?

Firstly, let us take a look at competitors of this company that we would not normally think of, in other words, the indirect competitors.

The first one is Udi’s Gluten. Udi’s is a Canadian bakery that is focused on producing gluten-free products, as the name of the business suggests. Among those are Bagels and English Muffins, Bread, Frozen Meals, Granola, Mug Cakes, and Muffins, Pizza, and Crust. That is a nice variety, and surprisingly enough, cookies are not included in the list, but still, competition is an ongoing factor.

The third is Annie’s. This, again, is an American company. Aside from baked goods, Annie’s also provides cereal, different snacks, mac and cheese, dressings, and condiments. Based on your preference, you can decide to go for gluten-free and vegan diets from Annie’s.

Then we have Interbake Foods, an American Confectionery and Snacks LLC. The variety of foods this company makes is insane. Starting from Cheddar Cheese, and ketchup, arriving at Chocolate Bars, and Wafers.

Another indirect competitor is Dare Foods. This one is a Canadian company offering crackers, cookies, candy, snacks. In the case of nut and gluten allergies, you can always pick nut-free and gluten-free snacks to fill up your spontaneous stomach.

Arnott’s is the seventh company on the list. This one is Australian, and the locals swear by it. Arnott’s cookies are not sweet only. There are also savory biscuit options, again gluten-free could be your selection of choice. In case you not being sure what you are craving, you can go for the variety packs, and figure out your want as you go.

Moving along, we are going to point out three strong competitors of Oreo.

The first company on this account is Mars. First, it was established in America but now Mars is a huge manufacturer around the world. It is mostly known for its delicious three-layered chocolate bars but the company also makes chewing gums, mints, and etc.

The second direct competitor is Nestle, originally based in Switzerland this company now has a huge impact worldwide. This company is not limited to one brand only. Nestle suggests baby food, bottled water, cereal, chocolate, coffee, ice cream, and even healthcare nutrition. Those categories, alongside others, make up over 2000 brands not only locally but globally as well.

Coming up we have Lays. The origins of Lays go back to 1932 Tennessee. We are all aware of the crucially appetizing and addicting potato chips this company produces. You would think that chips are Lays’es only specialty, and you would be wrong to assume that. The company has also been making chip dips for a while. Even though the slimly cut fried potatoes are flavorful enough, some people prefer an extra hint.

Let’s do some further research on some of the competitors and point out an outstanding aspect of each of them.

Nestle is outstanding from all other companies we are about to mention because of its interconnectedness of large-scale brands. For example, after its 2018 collaboration with Starbucks both of the companies benefited a lot. Nestle financially supported Starbucks to market packaged coffees and teas. Starbucks ended up expanding its product range from the Nestle stimulus.

Lays‘ target audience is its strong point. This company mainly targets teenagers and young adults. The ads that Lays makes are phenomenal. With its engaging means and friendly approach, it keeps customers coming back.

As a company that produces chocolate, Mars could completely be ignorant about people’s demand for healthy foods. But that is not what happened. Since people are starting to be more cautious about the ingredients they consume, companies have to brace themselves. Mars made sure to transform its ingredients to lessen the number of calories in one bar.

Udi’s Gluten is exceptional in its extreme health benefits. While it is good to treat yourself to some categories of foods every now and then, staying healthy is important. This company makes sure that all of its products are gluten-free, even the name of the company makes it obvious. This motivates people to go on a health grind.

Annie’s is KNOWN for its mac and cheese. Mac and cheese is pretty delicious and you can never have too much cheese. It is very easy to mess up this recipe if you are trying to make it from scratch. Hence why Annie’s has got you covered and it will make sure that every single pasta is swimming in cheese.

Interbake Foods satisfies those with a tendency of a balanced diet. This company concentrates on cookies and crackers. Interbake Foods manufactures not only retailers but also makes seasonal contracts.

Dare Foods is similar to Interbake Foods. However, for people who do not solve their cravings with cookies, Dare Foods has an exceptional answer. Its amazing gummies that fall under RealFruit and Juicee. As if that was not enough, mints and jelly beans are also two items that you can find through the amazing Dare Foods.

Arnott’s has a few things to appreciate. First and foremost, it markets its company in a way to send people one big important message. The whole point of eating, aside from survival, is enjoyment. Every bite has to be properly appreciated and it will only be a mutual benefit between the company and the consumer. Even though Arnott’s is putting cookies out there, which tend to be healthy, it has got everything under control. Every Australian health regulation box is checked with these delightful cookies. So you can for sure follow a healthy lifestyle with treats if you put your mind to it and utilize brands that care for your health.

It is super easy to do children wrong by changing up their mindsets with ads these days. Even adults may not notice how unconsciously television ads shape their needs. Thus, Arnott’s shows ads that are targeted at children conscientiously.

Undoubtedly, as soon as you read the word ‘competitor’ after finding out our brand of the day is Oreo, you thought of Hydrox.

The latter is the most obvious competitor. The cookies that these companies put out there are almost identical. Or, are they? We suggest diving a little deeper going back to the root of the competition and coming back to now.

What a lot of people do not know is that Hydrox was actually first made in 1908, six years before the debut of Oreos. These were manufactured by two different companies, respectively Sunshine Biscuits, and Nabisco.

That surprises a lot of people since Oreos these days are considered to be one of America’s signature food items.

The general, exterior idea of these cookies is almost indistinguishable. They both have a white filling in between two chocolate biscuits. The patterns on top are different.

What are the variations here? Who is ahead of whom? Which company is more preferred?

Initially, Oreo was struggling to keep up. For decades Hyrdox was way ahead in sales and reputation. However, it only took one small mistake for Hydrox to turn its reliability to 180 degrees. This company accused Oreo of being a ‘copycat’ basically. As a result, it started losing consumers, while for Oreo it was the other way round.

Hydrox then faced competition from other large American companies such as Kellogg’s, Keebler, and American Tobacco Company. But finally, in 2001, Hydrox stopped its production and got thrown off the run.

It was not for long though. In 2015, Leaf Brands brought back Hydrox. As it makes sense in terms of marketing, Leaf Brands started speaking in favor of Hydrox. Leaf Brands would announce that Oreo is a knock-off, less ethical, considerably unhealthy, and so on.

Somehow, the new approaches that Hydrox was using worked just fine because its sales increased immensely in 2016-2017. Still, the profits were nowhere near Oreo’s but it was a great deal of progress.

But enough about the technical stuff. What about the taste and how each brand is unique?

Lots of people who make YouTube videos or reviews elsewhere have compared the taste of these two cookies many times.

Ironically enough, the tastes are actually quite different. Oreo is slightly bitter and the icing taste takes away from the chocolate. While, Hydrox, on the other hand, is more crunchy and fudgy, with an overpowering chocolate taste.

With the cream part, the two companies use different ingredients.

Hydrox uses actual sugar while Oreo more so does corn syrup. That is why the consistency of the Oreo cream is smoother.

The cookie part…Hydrox feels a lot more ‘homemade’ with the real smell and taste of the cocoa powder. Oreo probably uses less cocoa since it is a bit more bitter and lighter.

And, of course, you have not truly put cookies to test unless you have tried dunking them in milk.

Some people prefer to still feel the crunch after dunking their cookie. Others like the softened texture better. It is all a matter of preference.

It takes five seconds for an Oreo to soften up while a Hydrox still has the crunch at that time around.

Yes, these two brands do have similar packaging. The colors are almost the same. The cookies nearly represent the same thing. But many have claimed over their reviews, that the tastes are truly very different.

What is mainstream is what people are most likely to purchase. Think about it, everybody always speaks about one cookie, the praise of its deliciousness is an ongoing conversation. Would you purchase something else? Probably on a rare occasion. This is exactly why Hydrox has suffered a good deal over the years.

But in terms of quality and taste, these brands are both worthy and advanced. So, while you’re hesitant about Hydrox, might as well give it a try.

What is life without a little bit of sugar and some salt? We started this blog with Oreo, an American extremely requested brand that is manufactured all over the world. However, to get a better understanding of it and maybe even how it can be improved further, some competitor analysis is required.

So, we did that as well. We determined direct and indirect competitors. Then, we gave a general understanding of them and their advantages. And finished everything off by comparing Oreo to its biggest competitor, Hydrox. For more like this, be sure to visit our main page.