Online Brands

An Unorthodox Approach to Launching an App

What’s the best way for a large fast food chain to immediately get attention on it’s new app? Taco Bell believed by diverting attention away from itself. The chain appeared to wipe it’s 1.4 million Twitter followers, delete all previous Facebook posts and release a TV commercial to say Taco Bell was no longer on TV. Yes you read that right, a brand communicated through TV to say they weren’t using TV anymore!

To make it more bizarre, they ended the commercial with a trending hashtag even though they were steering away from social media. Here’s a YouTube video they made, again to say the brand wasn’t on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Pnhl-myUU&list=UUGAWuGsaWysuMHbj0w2-Ffw

During Taco Bell’s social media blackout, all sites only featured one message: we have moved. This redirected customers to the app where they could build customisable orders, find local chains, make purchases and save items.

While this move is certainly bold, it may not be clever marketing. Adweek commentated stating, 

“While going dark will surely build some buzz around the app, it also cuts Taco Bell’s chances of chatting back and forth with fans on social media.”

Although it certainly created buzz, I feel sorry for any customer who innocently tried visiting their Twitter to find darkness rather than specials!