How has Taco Bell's marketing changed during that time?
Taco Bell continues to be a leader and innovator as a marketing company. What hasn't changed is that we love and are obsessed with consumers, and that we have the courage and rebellious spirit to go bigger and bolder than others. What hasn't changed is that we love to tell stories, but what has changed is where and how we tell them. To connect with consumers, ideas need to exist in more places than ever before. We're always looking to bring ideas to life in different cultural spaces: social, film, digital, earned, and more.
The Mexican Pizza campaign became a major cultural moment when Doja Cat helped bring the product back to Taco Bell. Can you talk about the role social media has played?
The resurgence of Mexican pizza was all social. Our fans are always very vocal about what they want, but with this item, their outspoken opinions in particular caught our attention. This is Doja Cat. Her authenticity is important to us, so we focused on her love for the brand and used her as the face of her campaign. Doja announced the return of Mexican pizza during her Coachella show, and she instantly broke the internet-shaking news. And once it hit the restaurant, she teamed up with another Taco Bell super fan, Dolly Parton, to create a festive Mexican Pizza the Musical on TikTok. Victor Kunda is a concept that originated from the posts of his social media creator.
Everything about that campaign started with social, was communicated through social, and evolved through social.
How has corporate social strategy changed since then?
Since then, we've honed our strategy to put fan-first insights at the core, outperforming almost everything by unlocking unique access to brands and allowing fans to co-create with us. I realized that. You have to be aware of what people want and find great ways to involve them in experiencing it.
You've been involved in some major promotions, including promoting “Taco Tuesday” with LeBron James and bringing back the Volcano menu. What is the philosophy/strategy behind Taco Bell's marketing that leads to promotions like this?
We always use the strong love of Taco Bell fans to inform our decisions. When we launch a promotion or bring back an item, we put real customer feedback front and center and work with some of culture's most beloved voices to help fans feel like they're seen and loved. Make sure you know what you're hearing. But we don't just borrow cool. LeBron James, Paris Hilton and everyone we've ever worked with are fans of tacos and Taco Bell itself. This allows us to engage with consumers in different ways that feel authentic and genuine.
