Taco Bell decided to throw a party in Las Vegas on Friday instead of buying another Super Bowl ad. And it was a [Baja] blast.
Inside a giant tent, across from the Wynn Hotel and Fashion Show Mall, the fast feeder hosted some of its biggest fans, influencers, and celebrities to its first-ever Live Mas Live, where it unveiled its entire slate of new products for 2024 to a live in-person audience—and it streamed the event as well. Picture WWDC or D23 crossed with a Crunchwrap Supreme.
Last year, Taco Bell had an official Super Bowl ad, featuring Doja Cat, as an extension of its partnership with the artist in her quest to return the Mexican Pizza to the menu. But this year the brand decided it would come to the Super Bowl, and instead spend its big-game budget on something completely new, aimed at everyday fans.
Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant says Super Bowl advertising definitely serves a purpose, as a mass approach to reach a lot of people. “We’ve done it before, this doesn’t mean we won’t do it again, but what I like about this is that it’s a bit more narrow and directly for the fans,” he says. “Here they’re not just seeing it all on a screen, they’re experiencing the brand directly and telling people about it. This is a big swing for us, and I want us to be a brand that takes big swings.”
Standing outside waiting to get in, I met Matthew from Atlanta, who describes himself as a pretty big fan of Taco Bell that saw a notification on the Taco Bell app on January 16. “I saw the notification that the first five people could win a trip to Vegas and just went for it,” he says. “This free trip to Vegas definitely deepens my love of Taco Bell.”
When guests walked into the tent, they were greeted by a miniature model of the first-ever Taco Bell restaurant, as well as a glass of champagne or bottle of beer to sip before walking into the larger auditorium outfit with giant 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 became Taco Bell’s chief executive in January after two years as chief brand officer. After a brand pep talk, Tresvant brought chief food innovation officer Liz Matthews to the stage. Before unveiling some new experiments, Matthews emphasized the importance of fan input to the company’s creative process, and called out some of its biggest failures like the Burgerito and Bacon Taco.
New items coming to the menu include a Triple Decker Taco, a canned Horchata coffee collaboration with Beekeeper Coffee as well as one with cult favorite ice cream brand Salt & Straw on something that very much resembles the Choco Taco, and a Baja Blast Pie. The key lime pie meets Mtn Dew lit up social media all weekend with its neon blue-green color.
Matthews’ other big highlight was announcing the brand’s new TBX program, in which it collaborates with exciting culinary talent on new ideas. The first class includes James Beard-recognized chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin; Reuben Asaram, the “Willy Wonka of Tacos;” and Lawrence Smith, whose Phoenix restaurant Chilte was named one of Esquire’s best of 2023. “It’s nostalgic, it’s cutting edge, it’s fun, so hell yeah, why wouldn’t I want to be a part of it?” says Smith.
With all Taco Bell’s focus and talk about its fans, the brand then handed out its first set of fan-based awards, presented by NFL All-Pro Davante Adams. The prizes included Menu Hack of the Year, Taco Bell Wedding of the Year, Drive-Thru Ride of the Year, and Live Mas Moment of the Year. The latter went to big wave surfer Kai Lenny, who isn’t an official brand ambassador but has long professed his love for Taco Bell, for calling out the power of a bean burrito during a World Surf League broadcast.
This was all fun, but the crowd really got excited when CMO Taylor Montgomery rolled out even more new menu items they could look forward to. The lineup includes a new Cantina Chicken menu, as well as a Cheesy Chicken Crispanada, Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Cheesy Street Chalupas, Mtn Dew Baja Blast Gelato, Cheesy Enchilada Dipping Taco, and Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delights. The big finale of the product reveal was the Cheez-It Crunchwrap, featuring a real Cheez-It cracker sixteen times the size of a normal one, with seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and all the classic Crunchwrap fixings, all wrapped inside a folded tortilla. It’s the Vision Pro of late night drive-thru.
After the official presentations, the crowd moved to another tent divided into zones, with each highlighting a different new type of product, from the desserts like the Baja Blast Pie to the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada and the entire Cantina chicken menu. Guests sipped custom cocktails, including the Live Mas Margarita (tequila, blood orange, lemon juice, and Starry soda) and a booze-free Downey ‘62 (blackberry, hibiscus, lime juice, club soda, and Baja Balst), before picking up limited hoodies from L.A. streetwear brand Born x Raised, which also collaborated with Taco Bell in 2022 on restaurant employee t-shirts.
The impact can’t be measured immediately, but for CMO Montgomery, the event was a risk worth taking in order to illustrate Taco Bell’s intention to engage and involve fans as much as possible.
“I think it sets the tone for what’s possible,” says Montgomery. “How do we set the tone for how Taco Bell should look and feel for the years to come? You can’t just do that with an ad, you need to take action to show you mean it, and this is a part of that.”