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Taco Bell® Shells Out New Doritos® Locos Tacos

By: Taco Bell |  0 Shares     232 Reads

Fifty Years After Introducing the Crunchy Taco to America, Taco Bell Partners with Frito-Lay to Reinvent its Most Popular Menu Item Company Celebrates with Midnight Launch and Biggest Product Introduction in its History

IRVINE, Calif., March 8, 2012 – Taco Bell® made history when it introduced the crunchy taco 50 years ago, becoming the first to bring Mexican-inspired food to several generations and millions of Americans. Last night at 12:00 a.m. midnight, Taco Bell launched another first reinventing its most popular menu item and introducing Doritos® Locos Tacos.

Doritos Locos Tacos features a shell made out of Nacho Cheese Doritos chips on the outside, with the classic tastes of the Taco Bell crunchy taco on the inside: 100 percent premium seasoned beef, crisp shredded lettuce and real cheddar cheese. Available exclusively at participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide, the suggested retail price for the Doritos Locos Tacos is $1.29 (170 calories; 9g total fat) and $1.69 for a Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme (200 calories; 11g total fat) with reduced-fat sour cream and diced tomatoes. A Doritos Locos Tacos Big Box Meal includes a Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme, Burrito Supreme®, Crunchy Taco and a medium drink. For people looking for lower-calorie, lower-fat options, Doritos Locos Tacos is available Fresco Style with 140 calories and 7g total fat or Supreme with 150 calories and 7g total fat. For complete nutritional information, visit www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information.

“Taco Bell founder Glen Bell has been recognized for his ‘Recipes for Success.’ At the top of that list: the best ideas often are the most simple,” said Greg Creed, CEO, Taco Bell Corp. Creed went on to discuss the genesis of this idea between Taco Bell and Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo. Creed tasked his team and Taco Bell’s partners with coming up with the industry’s next big thing. Through deliberate and collaborative efforts, Taco Bell and Frito-Lay developed the Doritos Locos Tacos. An idea so simple and brilliant, says Creed, “it was a flavor pairing just waiting to happen.”

According to Creed, four new production lines were built to handle the proprietary recipe and the demand that consumers had shown in test marketing. Taco Bell has produced more than 50 million Doritos Locos Tacos shells in anticipation of the initial launch.

Test for Success

Doritos Locos Tacos was test marketed for one year in three cities (Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif.; Toledo, Ohio), where one out of every three purchases included the Doritos Locos Tacos. Fans around the country and national press have been discussing its delicious merits for months, adding to the anticipation of today’s announcement. In addition to the test markets, the shell itself was consumer tested at Frito-Lay, resulting in extremely positive feedback.

Said Creed: “Glen Bell always listened to the consumer and was an explorer in the industry in terms of helping shape Taco Bell around what the fans wanted. Even before the official launch, the fans have spoken, shouting their love online.” One of Creed’s favorite tweets which will be featured on Doritos Locos Tacos packaging: @Pishoyharoun tweeted “Taco Bell tacos with a Doritos shell?! Genius! Culinary innovation at its finest!”

Initially available in Nacho Cheese, Taco Bell plans to introduce a Cool Ranch version this fall. “With the wide range of Doritos flavors available, the possibilities for this product platform are endless,” noted Creed, as fans have begun to guess and request future Doritos Locos Tacos shells.

Massive Marketing

Taco Bell will support the introduction of Doritos Locos Tacos with its biggest marketing effort in recent history. The company plans on an integrated marketing and consumer engagement effort that includes advertising (television, print, radio, outdoor, online), digital, social and public relations. Internally, the company already launched a massive Team Member engagement effort, with more than 135,000 employees nationwide receiving a Doritos Locos Tacos launch box with t-shirts, friends-and-family coupons, and a brochure detailing Glen Bell’s legacy.

Doritos Locos Tacos television advertising, created by Draftfcb Orange County, will feature the company’s new tagline, “Live Más,” which reflects the brand insight of “if you never do, you’ll never know.” This insight is further developed in the brand’s explorer-type roots, and by shifting from “food as fuel” to “food as experience.” Introduced February 2012 in brand television spots, “Live Más” celebrates getting more out of life, encouraging exploration and discovery beyond food. For example, the television spots integrate music from Taco Bell’s Feed the Beat® program, which since 2006 has provided free Fourthmeal to hundreds of up-and-coming bands and artists.

Music will play a key role in the launch of Doritos Locos Tacos beyond being featured in the television advertisements. Taco Bell will integrate the brand and Doritos Locos Tacos at the big music conference in Austin, Tex. from March 13 through March 17. In partnership with the Hype Machine, Taco Bell will host the Feed the Beat® Concert Series at theHype Hotel, where music lovers can discover more than 50 exciting artists and sample Doritos Locos Tacos. For the latest list of performers, visithttp://hypem.com/hotel/. For music fans not attending the Feed the Beat Concert Series, beginning at launch, Doritos Locos Tacos holsters will feature a QR code to exclusive video content showcasing performances from the Hype Hotel. A new performance will be featured each week.

Furthering the engagement, fans will also have an opportunity to share in the excitement for Doritos Locos Tacos through Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to the Taco Bell Mobile App, which features augmented reality via Medium and Large cups, as well as the Doritos Locos Tacos Big Box Meal, consumers will be able to connect with the brand and others by viewing a compilation of tweets and Facebook comments. In addition, from March 12 through May 6, several tweets featuring the hashtag #DoritosLocosTacos will be shown on digital billboards in New York City’s Times Square and on Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard. Once a post appears on a billboard, a snapshot will be sent to the creator for download and sharing with friends, and located for viewing on www.doritoslocostacos.com.

For access to all multimedia assets associated with this release, please visithttp://social.taylorstrategy.com/smpr/smr/taco_bell/taco-bell.html.

About Taco Bell Corp.

Taco Bell Corp. ("Taco Bell"), a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation's leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, signature quesadillas, XXL Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos, and other specialty items such as Crunchwrap Supreme®, in addition to the Why Pay More!® Value Menu. Taco Bell serves more than 36.8 million consumers each week in nearly 5,600 restaurants in the U.S.

About Doritos

Doritos tortilla chips is one of the billion-dollar brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. To learn more about the Doritos brand, visit its website at www.doritos.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DoritosUSAor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DoritosUSA.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo’s promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsico.com/.

 

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