You know that 3D printing is entering the mainstream when you see Oreo allowing people to 3D print their own custom cookies. This is just what they are doing at this year’s SXSW in Austin Texas. The Oreo lounge will be open from March 7th to 11th from noon to 7pm each day.

Oreo has an entire area set up at the show, called the Orea Cookie “Trending Vending Machine.” The machine relies on social media trends to determine which color combinations, as well as flavors, are available for printing. Mondelez worked with design firm MAYA Design to create the 3D printing lounge. The lounge features a touchscreen, and is connected to Twitter.com, via the hashtag #eatthetweet. After a person selects the cookie they want, with the help of Twitter, the 3D printer will build the cookie in under two minutes. Attendees are given 12 flavors and colors of cream filling to choose from.

Janda Lukin, senior director for Oreo at Mondelez International, said: “Oreo Trending Vending is another example of our continued commitment to providing consumers with unique experiences and delicious ways to engage with Oreo on and offline. We’re excited to see how social trends and our cookies intersect in the real world at SXSW Interactive.”

Oreo has been known for their clever social media marketing strategies. In this case they are combining the crazy media attention that 3D printing has been receiving lately with the growing popularity of Twitter, to become a trend on social media themselves. The #eatthetweet hashtag has been trending on Twitter tracking sites for the last 24 hours.

“Mondelez International continues to push the boundaries of digital creativity by using technologies like Twitter to bridge real-world events with online conversations,” said Ross Hoffman, director of US brand strategy at Twitter. “Giving SXSW attendees the ability to transform and customize something as iconic as an Oreo cookie, simply by tweeting, is very exciting.”

There are two “Trending Vending Machines” within Oreo’s lounge, and the last we heard they were one of the more popular areas for SXSW attendees to be. Discuss the 3D printed Oreo promotion at 3dprintboard.com

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