Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, February 28, 2011
Taco Bell battling beef image with new ads
NEW YORK (AP) - Taco Bell
is turning to TV commercials to battle
damage to its image from a lawsuit questioning its taco filling.
The fast-food chain has been on the defensive since it was
pushed into the media spotlight by a lawsuit that claimed the
restaurant's seasoned beef filling did not have enough beef to be
billed as such. Taco Bell has repeatedly said the claim is false.
The new $3 million television ad campaign comes the week that
Taco Bell is due to respond to the lawsuit in U.S. District Court
in California.
Taco Bell initially fought back with full-page ads last month in
national newspapers. The print ads made a splash with the headline
"Thank you for suing us."
The company also launched a social media campaign, urging
Twitter users to voice their support. And earlier this month Taco
Bell offered Facebook fans a free crunchy beef taco to thank them
for their loyalty.
Taco Bell said it planned the TV campaign after company studies
showed the previous campaigns reached only about half the
population.
"You want everybody to hear it," Taco Bell Chief Marketing
Officer David Ovans said. "You have to go to a mass-market,
broadcast approach to get the story straight."
The Alabama law firm that filed the lawsuit last month in
California has said its testing showed the filling was made of only
35 percent beef and therefore couldn't be called "beef."
The Beasley Allen law firm of Montgomery, Ala. had no comment on
Monday.
In the television commercials, Taco Bell employees talk about
the filling and direct customers who want to know more about what's
in it to the company's Web site.
The commercials don't mention the lawsuit, but emphasize the
company's message that the filling is 88 percent beef and 12
percent "signature recipe" consisting of seasonings and other
ingredients. They also promote a weeklong deal for an 88-cent
Crunchwrap Supreme, which regularly costs $2.39.
The commercials will run on network and basic cable TV,
including sports and news shows.
DePaul University communications Professor Joe Marconi said the
new ads are unlikely to have much impact, because customers who
enjoy Taco Bell will probably continue to go, while those who don't
normally eat there still won't.
The ads risk putting renewed attention on the concerns about the
filling, Marconi said.
Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, said Taco Bell should
taking a more grass-roots approach, including creating a video
showing how the meat is made.
"This is a problem that is very difficult to solve with words
alone," she said. "It needs pictures."
Marconi suggested Taco Bell post the ingredients at its
restaurants.
Taco Bell said its TV ad campaign involves about 20 percent more
commercials than it would run to introduce a new menu item.
Taco Bell is owned by Yum Brands, based in Louisville, Ky. Yum
said when it released its earnings earlier this month that the
lawsuit has had a "negative short-term impact."
Taco Bell has faced other public-relations concerns in the past,
including a 2006 E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 70 people
and a rat infestation in a New York City KFC/Taco Bell restaurant
filmed by a TV news camera in February 2007.
Taco Bell says it serves more than 36.8 million customers a week
in almost 5,600 U.S. Restaurants.
damage to its image from a lawsuit questioning its taco filling.
The fast-food chain has been on the defensive since it was
pushed into the media spotlight by a lawsuit that claimed the
restaurant's seasoned beef filling did not have enough beef to be
billed as such. Taco Bell has repeatedly said the claim is false.
The new $3 million television ad campaign comes the week that
Taco Bell is due to respond to the lawsuit in U.S. District Court
in California.
Taco Bell initially fought back with full-page ads last month in
national newspapers. The print ads made a splash with the headline
"Thank you for suing us."
The company also launched a social media campaign, urging
Twitter users to voice their support. And earlier this month Taco
Bell offered Facebook fans a free crunchy beef taco to thank them
for their loyalty.
Taco Bell said it planned the TV campaign after company studies
showed the previous campaigns reached only about half the
population.
"You want everybody to hear it," Taco Bell Chief Marketing
Officer David Ovans said. "You have to go to a mass-market,
broadcast approach to get the story straight."
The Alabama law firm that filed the lawsuit last month in
California has said its testing showed the filling was made of only
35 percent beef and therefore couldn't be called "beef."
The Beasley Allen law firm of Montgomery, Ala. had no comment on
Monday.
In the television commercials, Taco Bell employees talk about
the filling and direct customers who want to know more about what's
in it to the company's Web site.
The commercials don't mention the lawsuit, but emphasize the
company's message that the filling is 88 percent beef and 12
percent "signature recipe" consisting of seasonings and other
ingredients. They also promote a weeklong deal for an 88-cent
Crunchwrap Supreme, which regularly costs $2.39.
The commercials will run on network and basic cable TV,
including sports and news shows.
DePaul University communications Professor Joe Marconi said the
new ads are unlikely to have much impact, because customers who
enjoy Taco Bell will probably continue to go, while those who don't
normally eat there still won't.
The ads risk putting renewed attention on the concerns about the
filling, Marconi said.
Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, said Taco Bell should
taking a more grass-roots approach, including creating a video
showing how the meat is made.
"This is a problem that is very difficult to solve with words
alone," she said. "It needs pictures."
Marconi suggested Taco Bell post the ingredients at its
restaurants.
Taco Bell said its TV ad campaign involves about 20 percent more
commercials than it would run to introduce a new menu item.
Taco Bell is owned by Yum Brands, based in Louisville, Ky. Yum
said when it released its earnings earlier this month that the
lawsuit has had a "negative short-term impact."
Taco Bell has faced other public-relations concerns in the past,
including a 2006 E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 70 people
and a rat infestation in a New York City KFC/Taco Bell restaurant
filmed by a TV news camera in February 2007.
Taco Bell says it serves more than 36.8 million customers a week
in almost 5,600 U.S. Restaurants.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Taco Truck Photo Contest!
The California Taco Truck Association is having a contest…first prize is a Taco Cookbook!
Death of the Taco Bell Dog
Taco Bell Dog Death: Popular Pooch Passes Away
July 23rd, 2009
The passing away of a popular celebrity always leaves behind a string of broken hearts, especially so, if the celeb in question happens to be of the adorable canine variety. The star of the long airing Taco Bell commercials, who turned dog-lovers into Mexican food enthusiasts and vice versa has rolled over for the very last time.
Gidget, the ever popular face of Taco Bell who immortalized the catchphrase "Yo Quiero Taco Bell!" died on Tuesday, from a stroke at the ripe old age of 15, which of course is a whole lot more if counted in doggy-years, according to reports by People Pets.
Gidget shot to instant fame, thanks to the hugely popular commercial campaign, that saw her cast against her type as a male dog voiced by Argentine-American actor Carlos Alazraquin. Her brush with showbiz didn't quite end there, with her making occasional cameo appearances, notably in the 2002 insurance endorsement campaign, and the big haul in 'Legally Blonde 2′ as animal rights campaigner Reese Witherspoon's dog "Bruiser's mom".
The pocket-sized pooch, was according to her trainer Sue Chipperton, a thorough professional while on the set, though Chipperton had never quite been thrilled with her famous protegee being type-caste and more often than not running out of options to choose from.
In her last years of semi-retirement, her career might not exactly have been on the fast track, but her Taco Bell persona and her signature catchphrase continued to be recognized as a pop-culture footnote of the 90's, instantly identifiable as the pin-up for a fast-food-crazed generation. RIP Gidget.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
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