It is very hard to research Taco Bell’s new breakfast campaign without getting an immense craving for a Crunchwrap Supreme, especially now that it’s offered in the morning hour with bacon and eggs. But what is equally delicious is the amount of hype that Taco Bell generated around this new offering. They have officially riled up McDonald’s, and generated a ton of social media “buzz” around breakfast.
How did they do it? Let’s take a look at three major highlights to find out how Taco Bell has heated up the fast food breakfast game.
Surprise and Delight, Part 1: Burner Phones
We already loved how Taco Bell surprised and delighted their fans before, and they pulled out all the stops for this campaign. First, they sent prepaid mobile phones to influencers across seven cities. The phones were also loaded with different social media missions that resulted in free Taco Bell merchandise and the ultimate prize: free Taco Bell breakfast for a year. Taco Bell also hid a few phones across the seven cities, bringing fans offline with a fun scavenger hunt.
Surprise and Delight, Part 2: #PickMeTacoBell
For those who missed the phones, Taco Bell offered another chance for a year of free Taco Bell breakfast. Users were asked to tweet photos of themselves with Taco Bell breakfast and the hashtags #PickMeTacoBell and #WakeUpLiveMás. Somewhat of a challenge for those who may want to fit in something other than the hashtags and can’t easily copy/paste the accent, but hey, it’s free breakfast for a year.
Tweet a photo of you and your Taco Bell Breakfast with #WakeUpLiveMas and #PickMeTacoBell by 11 a.m. and you could win Taco Bell for a year.
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) March 27, 2014
Social Listening
The best highlight of Taco Bell’s campaign is how well they listened to fans. This doesn’t just apply to what fans are saying about Taco Bell breakfast in particular – especially since there was no actual conversation in the first place. Through Taco Bell’s content, you can tell that they take note of how people generally talk about breakfast, how their target audience likes to picture their breakfast, and how much their target audience values transparency.
Brian Niccol, President of Taco Bell, answered fans questions about the new breakfast offerings in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). He addressed a lot of rumors regarding Taco Bell, and took a lot of suggestions for future consideration.
Another great example of listening comes in simple tweets. Is this for Taco Bell or a group at a “Sunday Funday” brunch?
Babes who breakfast. pic.twitter.com/aI3ASKs1pA
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) March 29, 2014
Overall, Taco Bell is definitely becoming a master at creating buzz through surprising, giving, and listening to their audience. Do you think the campaign will help catapult the new breakfast menu? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
