Taco Bell CEO Adds Podcaster to Résumé

Taco Bell Corp. CEO Mark King is the most recent exec to dive into the world of podcasts.

His series, dubbed “Recipe for Restless Creativity,” has so far featured interviews of a Taco Bell chef and two former employees turned Taco Bell franchisees.
 
The name of the podcast sums up a driver of the fast food chain’s corporate culture and the podcast, King told the Business Journal, and is a “a new way to shine a light on stories of innovation.”

“Getting to hear from people within the Taco Bell community and witnessing their unstoppable energy first-hand is so inspiring to me and it’s great to be able to share that with listeners,” King said.
 
He’s not alone, as it’s the golden age for the podcast.
 
OC marketers, particularly those with consumer-facing brands, have increasingly turned to the medium to remain relevant, while also controlling their brand narratives. Last year proved to be no exception with shelter-in-place orders driving launches and listening.
 
Listen Notes, which calls itself a search engine for podcasts, said over 1 million podcasts launched last year. That’s a big jump from 2019’s nearly 329,000 launches.
 
Other notable podcasting locals include Costa Mesa-based Volcom LLC, which in September launched its “True Conversation” podcast hosted by Houston rapper Fat Tony to feature BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) surfers, skaters, snowboarders, musicians and others talking about their personal experiences.  

Anaheim retailer Pacific Sunwear of California LLC in October launched “Pac Talks,” a livestreamed talk show covering topics such as mental health and social justice, with the first episode featuring actress Yara Shahidi and Naomi Wadler, an activist against gun violence. The retailer’s show more recently featured YouTuber Emma Chamberlain discussing anxiety and was streamed through IGTV.
 
The medium’s not only being used by companies to interact directly with their consumer base, but also for advertising. Podcast ad revenue in the U.S. ended 2020 up nearly 19% from 2019 to $842 million, according to a report PricewaterhouseCoopers did for New York-based Interactive Advertising Bureau.