In the battle for fast food content, there is no brand with as many fiery flavors as Taco Bell. The brand was one of the earliest big name adopters of both Snapchat and Vine, introducing products on both platforms more than two years ago when the technology was still a flash in the pan, demonstrating a commitment to taking big risks when it comes to content. But behind even their spiciest stunts lies a tried and true strategy.
Says Nick Tran, former head of social media at Taco Bell: “You can break down the type of content we share into three categories: The first is anything Taco Bell creates internally. The other type of content we share is whatever we co-create. This is when we collaborate with influencers and give them the tools to create their own content. The last is content curation, which is basically us amplifying interesting content from our social community.”
Today, we’ll take a look at three examples of Taco Bell’s latest and greatest in the world of digital domination.
1. FEED THE BEAT
Since 2006, Taco Bell has supported more than 800 touring musicians by picking up their drive thru tabs on the road and helping grow their audiences, using their songs in TV spots and on an exclusive Pandora station to gain exposure on a huge scale. The initiative feeds streams on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, promoting emerging artists while offering fresh music content to fans.
2. BLING RING
In 2014, brand social media manager Jozlynn Rush declared, “Every day, we get tweets and Facebook posts from consumers asking us to marry them.” So it made perfect sense for Taco Bell to put a ring on it. The brand sent custom wire rings with personalized love notes to notable ladies including Chrissy Teigen, Miss California 2012 Leah Cecil, Jessica Lu of MTV’s Awkward and more. The result? Tons and tons of social buzz, but it makes the brand stand out in the social crowd by truly acting like a person instead of a company, making them imminently followable (and even a bit more lovable).
3. #ONLYINTHEAPP
Before launching their mobile ordering app, Taco Bell temporarily shut down all of their social media channels (all enjoying millions of dedicated followers), driving users to download. It was a hugely risky move, but wound up resulting in both some huge press coverage and pretty tasty profits. Now, the average app order comes in 20% higher than in-store purchases due to ingredient add-ons. The lesson? Go big or go home, and always leave your fans hungry for more.
These are just a few of the social-driven content experiences Taco Bell has recently delivered to consumers. With endless new product launches every year and a passionate, hyper-connected consumer audience, the brand is breaking new ground in showing us how to integrate branded content both online and offline for maximum engagement.