• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, February 17, 2011

On Feb. 16, Kraft Foods' Oreo brand was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as being the first brand to attempt, and achieve, the record for most "likes" on a Facebook post within a 24-hour period.

The effort, which commenced at 9 a.m. EST on Feb. 15, generated 114,619 likes in response to this post: "'Like' this post to join other Oreo fans around the world in setting a Guinness World Record for most 'likes' to a post in 24 hours. Oreo is the world's favorite cookie, and with your help, it will be the most 'liked.'"

The promotion, however, inspired others to best Oreo's just-snagged record ... and it appears that rapper Lil Wayne did just that, through a posting on his own Facebook page, only hours after the brand's feat was confirmed by Guinness.

Still, Oreo -- which with 16 million-plus fans over 20 countries has the third-largest Facebook community of any brand worldwide (and a page accessible in Spanish and French, as well as English) -- certainly demonstrated its ability to engage and marshal the troops. According to Kraft, in addition to their likes, fans contributed thousands of comments to the post (such as "WOOHOO -- I'm gunna be a world record holder," and "We need a love button instead of a like.").

"While our reign as record holder may be short but delectably sweet, like Oreo cookies, we proudly accept the record on behalf of our fans across the globe," said John Ghingo, senior director, Oreo Global Growth Platforms for Kraft Foods.

Oreo will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. Its presence in more than 100 world markets was expanded by two last year (France and Romania) and will grow by another two early this year (Poland and Germany).