The following month in Canada, Taco Bell’s “Receipt Redemption” asked social media users to post photos of their late-night receipts from the chain and trade them for free items from its new Chicken Cantina menu during the day. 

Through such campaigns and menu innovations like the Chicken Cantina range, “we’re trying to highlight sides of the brand that always existed but weren’t always spotlighted,” Montgomery said. “‘Live Más’ is very broad but specific, and everyone across different generations has a different definition of it.” 

Experiences for superfans

Taco Bell is no stranger to over-the-top branded experiences, such as when it opened a hotel called The Bell in 2019. Located in Palm Springs, Calif. the pop-up hotel came complete with food tastings, synchronized swimmers in hot-sauce suits and a poolside concert. 

And earlier this year during Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, Taco Bell hosted its first Live Más Live event, which included tastings with chefs, music performances from the likes of Omar Apollo, and the Bell Awards honoring fans in categories like Menu Hack of the Year.  

Taco Bell plans to host its second Live Más Live next year. 

All of its experiences, including The Cantinas, are “designed to showcase our menu but also to live on social, mainly TikTok,” Montgomery explained. The brand spends the majority of its paid media budget on digital and connected channels, he added. 

As with the rest of its marketing hits, including a campaign with Doja Cat heralding the return of Mexican Pizza, Taco Bell’s marketing is inspired by its superfans, who are “the biggest evangelists for the brand,” Montgomery said. 

Now, as it looks to recruit that next generation of evangelists, it will continue to take cues from its biggest fans, whether that’s an early retirement community or something else. According to Montgomery, such efforts will only be successful if they keep that authentically Taco Bell flavor: light-hearted, unfiltered and a little bit spicy. 

“Gen Z consumers want to have a two-way conversation with the brand. They want you to be real, unfiltered and raw,” Montgomery said. “The Cantinas shows we’re not taking ourselves too seriously. We’re in on the joke.”