How Taco Bell blasted into the Super Bowl with viral Baja Blast pie

Taco Bell determined to throw a celebration in Las Vegas on Friday as an alternative of shopping for one other Tremendous Bowl advert. And it was a [Baja] blast.

Inside a large tent, throughout from the Wynn Lodge and Trend Present Mall, the quick feeder hosted a few of its greatest followers, influencers, and celebrities to its first-ever Dwell Mas Dwell, the place it unveiled its total slate of latest merchandise for 2024 to a dwell in-person viewers—and it streamed the occasion as nicely. Image WWDC or D23 crossed with a Crunchwrap Supreme. 

Final 12 months, Taco Bell had an official Super Bowl ad, that includes Doja Cat, as an extension of its partnership with the artist in her quest to return the Mexican Pizza to the menu. However this 12 months the model determined it could come to the Tremendous Bowl, and as an alternative spend its big-game funds on one thing utterly new, geared toward on a regular basis followers.

Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant says Tremendous Bowl promoting positively serves a function, as a mass strategy to succeed in lots of people. “We’ve accomplished it earlier than, this doesn’t imply we received’t do it once more, however what I like about that is that it’s a bit extra slender and immediately for the followers,” he says. “Right here they’re not simply seeing all of it on a display, they’re experiencing the model immediately and telling folks about it. This can be a large swing for us, and I would like us to be a model that takes large swings.”

Standing outdoors ready to get in, I met Matthew from Atlanta, who describes himself as a fairly large fan of Taco Bell that noticed a notification on the Taco Bell app on January 16. “I noticed the notification that the primary 5 folks may win a visit to Vegas and simply went for it,” he says. “This free journey to Vegas positively deepens my love of Taco Bell.”

When company walked into the tent, they have been greeted by a miniature mannequin of the first-ever Taco Bell restaurant, in addition to a glass of champagne or bottle of beer to sip earlier than strolling into the bigger auditorium outfit with large Crunchwrap hexagonal screens, and a set by DJ and producer LP Giobbi. 

The festivities kicked off with host Armani White, the rapper and TikTok star, introducing Tresvant, who grew to become Taco Bell’s chief government in January after two years as chief model officer. After a model pep speak, Tresvant introduced chief meals innovation officer Liz Matthews to the stage. Earlier than unveiling some new experiments, Matthews emphasised the significance of fan enter to the corporate’s inventive course of, and known as out a few of its greatest failures just like the Burgerito and Bacon Taco.

New objects coming to the menu embrace a Triple Decker Taco, a canned Horchata espresso collaboration with Beekeeper Espresso in addition to one with cult favourite ice cream model Salt & Straw on one thing that very a lot resembles the Choco Taco, and a Baja Blast Pie. The important thing lime pie meets Mtn Dew lit up social media all weekend with its neon blue-green coloration.

Matthews’ different large spotlight was asserting the model’s new TBX program, by which it collaborates with thrilling culinary expertise on new concepts. The primary class contains James Beard-recognized chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin; Reuben Asaram, the “Willy Wonka of Tacos;” and Lawrence Smith, whose Phoenix restaurant Chilte was named certainly one of Esquire’s best of 2023. “It’s nostalgic, it’s leading edge, it’s enjoyable, so hell yeah, why wouldn’t I need to be part of it?” says Smith.

With all Taco Bell’s focus and speak about its followers, the model then handed out its first set of fan-based awards, introduced by NFL All-Professional Davante Adams. The prizes included Menu Hack of the 12 months, Taco Bell Wedding ceremony of the 12 months, Drive-Via Journey of the 12 months, and Dwell Mas Second of the 12 months. The latter went to large wave surfer Kai Lenny, who isn’t an official model ambassador however has long progressed his love for Taco Bell, for calling out the facility of a bean burrito throughout a World Surf League broadcast.  

This was all enjoyable, however the crowd actually bought excited when CMO Taylor Montgomery rolled out much more new menu objects they may look ahead to. The lineup features a new Cantina Hen menu, in addition to a Tacky Hen Crispanada, Crispy Hen Nuggets, Tacky Road Chalupas, Mtn Dew Baja Blast Gelato, Tacky Enchilada Dipping Taco, and Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delights. The massive finale of the product reveal was the Cheez-It Crunchwrap, that includes an actual Cheez-It cracker sixteen instances the scale of a traditional one, with seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and all of the traditional Crunchwrap fixings, all wrapped inside a folded tortilla. It’s the Imaginative and prescient Professional of late night time drive-thru.

After the official displays, the gang moved to a different tent divided into zones, with every highlighting a special new kind of product, from the desserts just like the Baja Blast Pie to the Tacky Hen Crispanada and the whole Cantina rooster menu. Company sipped customized cocktails, together with the Dwell Mas Margarita (tequila, blood orange, lemon juice, and Starry soda) and a booze-free Downey ‘62 (blackberry, hibiscus, lime juice, membership soda, and Baja Balst), earlier than selecting up restricted hoodies from L.A. streetwear model Born x Raised, which additionally collaborated with Taco Bell in 2022 on restaurant worker t-shirts.  

The influence can’t be measured instantly, however for CMO Montgomery, the occasion was a threat price taking with a purpose to illustrate Taco Bell’s intention to have interaction and contain followers as a lot as attainable. 

“I believe it units the tone for what’s attainable,” says Montgomery. “How will we set the tone for the way Taco Bell ought to feel and appear for the years to return? You may’t simply do this with an advert, you might want to take motion to point out you imply it, and this is part of that.”