FREEDOM. TO IMAGINE YOUR BRAND IN TOTALLY NEW WAYS.
Taco Bell asked us to totally reimagine its fast-food brand for the 2020s. The “Be” project was the result. Bright, modern and experiential it helped birth the “Taco Bell Cantina” diffusion brand. (Agency: Landor).
the concept
“Being”. not simply eating.
Taco Bell was grab and go fast-food. With a high-turnover, low-value image. We wanted to fix that. Our brand reimagining took the focus off “eating” and onto “being”. The sort of place all those many types of people who’d never enter a Taco Bell would want to hang out and just “Be”.
2020s. not 1960s.
We proposed moving Taco Bell away from its narrow 1960s fast-food roots to create a 21st century environment where more types of people would want to “Be” in for longer. We mocked up bright new environments. And envisaged a broader menu to appeal to a wider user demographic.
Global. Not “Tex-Mex”
To keep things fresh, we suggested “guest appearances” of upmarket coffees and regional and artisanal foodstuffs you’d never expect in a fast-food joint. All designed to make you want to hang out longer.
High margin. Not low value.
We aimed to show how they could evolve their business out of the low margin, high competition “fast food” market. And into the higher-margin, “third space” territory of Starbucks, Joe & the Juice and Pret.
THE outcome
The “Be” project inspired Taco Bell to create the “Taco Bell Cantina” diffusion brand. Featuring the same broader-appeal, higher-value, experiential feel we’d proposed.
