He also highlighted how successful those messages can be by not trying to control those creators, citing Doja Cat’s criticism on Twitter of the brand for dropping Mexican Pizza from its menu, which blew up and led to it being brought back.

“That’s why I think that campaign was so successful, because we didn’t put her in a box. We let Doja be Doja, which is very authentic. And then obviously, consumers responded and reacted to authentic content versus us writing lines for Doja about what to say.”

In turn, the brand aims to respond and have conversations with its fans through social media, which led to the “Brought Back” campaign, allowing fans to suggest other old menu items they wanted to return.

Stepping up to CEO

Speaking about preparing to take on the role of CEO on Jan. 1, following the planned retirement of Mark King at the end of this year, Tresvant spoke about his view on leadership and how he aims to take the Yum! Brands-owned restaurant chain forward.

“Leadership and being able to lead people, coach people, mentor people, separates companies from good to great, from great to extraordinary. And so, my platform, and Taco Bell, even when I came in as chief brand officer, the idea is to let’s be able to create great leadership within a certain company because I do think it changes the trajectory of companies,” he explained.

He also spoke about the people within the brand and leading it holistically, while also aiming to grow Taco Bell internationally, something he had already begun to focus on in his current position. Also on his agenda is enhancing the brand’s relationship with franchisees.