More Taco
Taco
They got huge coverage from
their first publicity stunt of this type when they floated a target in the
Indian Ocean during the de-orbiting of the Mir Space Station by
One of my students asked me: "Can they do that?" This is
probably the hardest thing for new entrepreneurs to learn; you make up your own
rules (subject, of course, to the rule of law). It’s like what Butch Cassidy
said to the Sundance Kid in the film of the same name after he cheated to win a
challenge to his leadership of the Hole in the Wall Gang: “There are no rules, in a knife fight.” Guerrilla marketing is like
that—plenty of grey areas.
Now Taco Bell is at it again*—they are using a target outside Busch
Stadium during Game 3 of this year’s World Series—if a home run ball hits it,
everyone gets a free taco. (See the CNN story below.)
Note also how they use their tag line**: “think outside the bun” in the body of their story. This is a double, marketing whammy.
Having said all this, I am not entirely sure that Taco Bell is on the right track to use the same type of GM a second time. It kind of reminds me of what John Candy said in Splash: “If I have something that works for me, I stick with it.” But if you remember what his brother (played by Tom Hanks) said to him, something like this—‘It was cute when you were 11, Freddy, but it’s disgusting at 30.’ GM gets old fast and you always have to be looking for the next big event/stunt/thing.
Now if a home run ball actually hits the target tonight in Game 3 of the Cardinals versus the Red Sox series that would be huge for Taco Bell. I am sure they are hoping that it does because: a) it would be a new twist on an ‘old’ story, b) they would get a few million people to take them up on their free offer, c) presumably when they are in the store, consumers will buy something too, like maybe a drink, d) they might actually make money from it, and e) they will be insured for it anyway.
In addition to this type of successful GM, Taco Bell's NYSE symbol is
'YUM'. This is more guerrilla marketing. Most companies would perhaps have used
'TBC' for Taco Bell Corporation. Yum is so much better for a food company,
don't you think?
What is guerrilla marketing? Essentially it is where you substitute
brains for simply spending more marketing dollars. Calling Taco Bell 'YUM' on
the NYSE doesn't cost anymore but it is smart marketing.
Dr. Bruce M. Firestone,
*
Thanks to Todd Jamieson of EnvisionOnline.ca for bringing this to my
attention.
**
For more on how to use tag lines, see: http://www.dramatispersonae.org/TagLinesBusinessWeekOctober2004.pdf.
Will the World Series feed
A free taco for everyone in the
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/25/news/fortune500/tacobell_baseball/index.htm?cnn=yes
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If this target gets hit, |
During game three of the World Series, if players from either team hit the
12' by 12' Taco Bell target, everyone in the
"With strong home run hitters from both the Red Sox and the Cardinals, nearly 300 million people just may have the opportunity to think outside the bun and win a free taco," said Taco Bell's chief marketing officer Greg Creed in a statement.
If the target is hit, the company said customers can pick up their tacos on Tuesday, Nov. 9 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time. Details will be available on tacobell.com in the event of a target-hitting home run.
Although this is the not the restaurant's first taco target offer, baseball players were not able to capitalize on previous opportunities for free food.
This time around, the company said chances for success are greater than before, given the location of the target and the batting records of the two teams.
The target is located left of center field, in Busch Stadium's Homer's Landing. During the 2004 season, nearly a quarter of the 170 home runs hit in the stadium landed in the area, approximately 420 feet from home plate.
Plus, since the start of the 2004 playoffs, the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals have posted a combined 32 home runs. Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals ranks second in home runs this season, with 46; and Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox leads the American League in home runs with 43.
Taco
Major League Baseball and Taco Bell recently announced an agreement naming
the fast food restaurant the "official quick service restaurant" of
MLB through the 2006 baseball season. 
http://www.dramatispersonae.org/GuerrillaMarketingAndFinance/GuerrillaMarketing.htm
http://www.dramatispersonae.org/EntrepreneurialistCultureFrontPage.htm
http://www.dramatispersonae.org/