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TACO BELL MARKETING, THE MATRIX, AND YOU
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Following extensive research ... Taco Bell's MARKET
CONSULTANTS have come up with some very interesting insights
into consumers, insights that we would like to share with you
here:
Taco
Bell Market Research Press Release, Sept. 23, 1999
(Note: the following is the text of the Taco Bell Press
Release from 9/23/99. The words are theirs, unaltered. The layout
however, has been slightly tweaked to emphasize certain particularly
important passages and turns of phrase found in the release. If
you would like to see the press release in its original form, click
on the link above. And please ignore any morphed images of dogs.
Thank you.)
(And a special thanks to  for its photos and philosophy!)
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TACO BELL MARKETING PRESS RELEASE
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NEW "AGE OF HEDONISM" EMERGES IN 18-24
YEAR OLDS
NATIONWIDE SURVEY REVEALS SELF INDULGENCE TREND
HAS REACHED ALL-TIME-HIGH WITH YOUNGER GENERATION
IRVINE, CA, September 23, 1999 -- According to new nationwide
trend research conducted among teens and young adults, it now
takes much more to satisfy the self-indulgent demands of 18 to
24-year-olds than it did five years ago.
"Taco Bell is tapping this new trend by
introducing a self-indulgent, heavy-in-taste product called the
Chalupa," said Mary Wagner, Chief Technology & Quality
Officer, Taco Bell Corp.
According to Irma Zandl, President of The Zandl Group,
the country's leading authority on tracking emerging youth trends,
"We've never seen a more intense or extreme trend since
we started monitoring 18 to 24-year-olds back in 1986. The
more today's young adults are exposed to, the more they want in
terms of the way they live and the food they eat."
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[Taco Bell researchers monitoring
18 to 24-year-olds]
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Over the past five years, the following trends have taken place:
Indulgence Then / Indulgence Today
- Entertainment: Visit a nightclub/Attend all-night "Rave"
- Candy: Eat 2 oz. Candy bar/Eat 5 oz. Super size bar
- Ice Cream: Ben and Jerry's/ Godivas
- Sports: Basketball/Snowboarding
- Music: Walkman tape recorder/Discman CD Player
- Video: VCR/DVD
Wagner added, "The heavy users of Taco Bell crave more
flavor, extremely rich, spicy and indulgent products. The unique
Chalupa flatbread taco has a soft outer shell with a golden brown
layer that is crispy and flaky and has a bold taste."
"Today's young adults are exposed to a bombardment of the
senses that is much more intense and much greater than even their
parents' generation. They have become addicted
to constant stimulation and actually feel 'bored' unless their
insatiable demand for novelty is being satisfied," added Zandl.
The "New Hedonism" Generation
"To catch increasingly short attention spans -- and
the insatiable demand for novelty -- marketers today need
to follow the lead of the entertainment industry with a steady stream
of new products," said Zandl. "This life-in-the-fast-lane
sensibility also fuels hedonistic impulses, from raves to
rich-tasting food."
According to their research, thresholds of excitement are escalating
because life is accelerating at such a fast pace. Multi-task orientation
has conditioned people to seek maximum stimulation -- all at once.
This thrill quest is addictive.
New Hedonistic Food Choices:
* Sales of light or low fat products are declining, while per capita
consumption of candy -- at 27 pounds a year is at an all time high.
* Per capita consumption of cheese -- at 26 pounds a year -- is
at an all-time high.
* Americans' per capita consumption of spices has increased 68 percent
in the past decade.
* The "hot food" category (including hot sauces, salsas
and spiced snacks) has become a $15 billion-a-year business.
New Lifestyle Activities:
* Bored with rule-bound traditional sports, more people are participating
in new hybrid sports like snowboarding, snowblading, windsurfing,
street luging, cyclocross and roller hockey.
* 38% of television viewers channel surf, up from 15 percent in
1985.
* Quick, MTV-type film editing creates a purely visceral response.
* 91 million people watch NASCAR races on television.
* In 1999, 21 of the 25 most-watched shows on cable TV were wrestling.
* Among 20-something bridegrooms, outdoor adventure trips are replacing
the traditional bachelor party.
Nationwide Chalupa Introduction
Three Chalupa versions will be offered including "Supreme,"
"Baja," and "Santa Fe", starting at just 99
cents at participating restaurants. Chalupas can be ordered with
seasoned beef, chicken or steak
The introduction of Chalupas will be supported by television advertising,
in-store point of purchase materials, on-air radio promotions and
give-aways designed to drive trial of all three versions. The popular
talking Chihuahua is starring in a new 30-second commercial called
"Stand Off" created by TBWA/Chiat/Day airing nationwide
during prime time television beginning September 26th.
In "Stand Off," the hungry Chihuahua is once again on
his quest for the great taste of Taco Bell food. In this spot, he
is on the scene of a police stand-off and is waiting for the suspect
to follow police orders and "Drop The Chalupa." The Chihuahua
peers up anxiously waiting for the Chalupa to fall.
Taco Bell Corp., a division of Tricon Global Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:YUM),
is the nation's leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain
with more than $5 billion in System-wide sales. Taco Bell serves
more than 55 million consumers each week in its 7,000 restaurants
nationwide.
** end of Taco Bell press release **
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SO... what do you think? Makes you want to rush out
and buy a Chalupa today, doesn't it? Of course, according to Taco
Bell, you have no other choice.
We beg to differ.
It is time to show Taco Bell that we are more than just
"self-indulgent" cash machines "addicted
to constant stimulation".
It is time to show Taco Bell that more than "insatiable
cravings" go into our buying decisions -- that human
rights and the dignity of labor also enter into our thinking
when we decide where to spend our money.
It is time to spend our money elsewhere, until
Taco Bell recognizes the importance of the farmworkers' contribution
to the food industry, meets with the CIW, and takes substantive
action to help end farmworker poverty.
Show Taco Bell that FREE WILL wins out over "insatiable
cravings" every time...
DROP THE CHALUPA!
BOYCOTT TACO BELL!
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