Taco Bell Corp. is in the midst of a flurry of marketing activities fueled by an increase in its advertising budget.
The Irvine-based fast-food chain’s 2012 media spending added up to $281.8 million, up from $250 million in 2011, according to Kantar Media.
The company declined to disclose the 2013 figures but said this year’s advertising strategy is focused on the bigger picture.
“We used to buy media on a local level, and now we’ve worked with our franchises to increase the amount of national buys that we do,” said Rob Poetsch, Taco Bell’s director of public affairs.
So what are they spending it all on?
n The latest TV spot promoting Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos debuted Aug. 25 at MTV’s Video Music Awards. Taco Bell was also one of the sponsors of the show, along with Pepsi, Wrigley, Cover Girl and Microsoft Corp.
The new 30-second ad, titled “The World’s Most Hottest Idea,” was produced by Deutsch LA. It features various people trying to guess the flavor of the new taco. The ad will run on cable networks, including A&E and Bravo. The campaign also has radio and digital components.
Deutsch LAtino, a multicultural arm of the mainstream agency, created another ad for a Spanish-speaking audience. It shows fans powering through a Fiery taco, all while claiming it’s not spicy.
Taco Bell has sold more than 600 million Doritos Locos Tacos since March 2012, but the company’s marketing team was worried people weren’t familiar with the Fiery name.
“When we launched the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos, [fans] said, ‘When is the Cool Ranch coming?’ But they didn’t know what Fiery was,” Poetsch said. “What we wanted to do is to get people to try it and to talk about the name.”
Digitas, Taco Bell’s digital agency of record, reached out to the brand’s “YouTube community,” which Poetsch said were “people who love Doritos Locos Tacos and couldn’t wait to try the next new flavor.”
They created videos guessing what the new taco’s name is, and posted them on their Twitter feeds with a #_DLT hashtag. Brand loyalists, in turn, could order a Fiery taco three days before it was available on the restaurants’ menus.
n Taco Bell just released a 50-minute documentary, “Hello Everywhere,” which chronicles the experiences of rock bands Passion Pit and Wildcat! Wildcat! at the 2013 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
The effort was part of the company’s “Feed the Beat” program, through which it supports up-and-coming artists by giving them free gift cards to buy tacos, with no strings attached.
“The program has been targeted towards bands, and we saw the opportunity to expand that and reach out to more fans,” Poetsch said.
n Taco Bell is also testing breakfast menu items in a couple of markets, including Fresno; Omaha, Neb.; and Chattanooga, Tenn. The effort is supported by a local ad campaign produced by Deutsch LA. It includes radio, TV, digital and outdoor advertising.
Poetsch said Deutsch and Irvine-based Draftfcb continue to work on the brand.
Other Taco Ad News
Del Taco LLC, the Lake Forest-based fast-food chain, named Morgan Marketing and PR LLC in Irvine its public relations agency of record after a competitive review process.
The agency will handle communications strategy, media outreach and social media to support the company’s “UnFreshing Believable” advertising campaign that kicked off in April.
“We selected Morgan Marketing for the team’s creative capabilities and proven results across a variety of food and restaurant brands,” said John Cappasola, Del Taco’s executive vice president and chief brand officer.
Morgan Marketing hit the ground running—last week the agency coordinated the launch of Del Taco’s newest menu items: CrunchTada Tostada and CrunchTada Pizzas.
Del Taco has 550 restaurants in 18 states across the country. Its “UnFreshing Believable” campaign was developed by San Francisco-based Camp + King and included merchandising and social media, digital, radio and television ads.
Morgan Marketing takes over Del Taco’s PR duties from Barbara Caruso of Huntington Beach-based Caruso Communications, who handled the account for 19 years and recently decided to hand it off.
Morgan Marketing’s other clients include Panda Express, Togo’s, Wienerschnitzel, Tastee Freez and Wetzel’s Pretzels.
