Lauren Johnson, a digital marketing reporter at Adweek said,"Social media and millennial marketing is an extremely tough area for brands right now," she says. "The agencies tend to be a bit older, so they're trying to understand what millennials talk about with their friends, and how that can be translated into marketing that feels that same way" (Cruz, 2016). One of the main lessons that we learned this week was: Understand what is important to your target audience. By using social listening tools you can see what your customers are talking about and use that information to build your online presence; Taco Bell has built a social media empire, with close to 11 million Facebook followers and over 1.8 million Twitter followers. Taco Bell used to be known for the slogan “Think outside the bun.” Within the last few years there has been a shift to more than just food; younger consumers in addition to a meal, demand the overall brand experience and, ultimately, a cool lifestyle. Taco Bell has social media channels that respond instantaneously with posts that "keep it real" creating the feeling that the brand is a friend.
Billy Cruz at NPR points out that Taco Bell prides itself on being a pioneer in engaging with consumers on social media platforms like Snapchat and Twitter (2016). This past November, taking advantage of the newly created taco emoji, the company launched a social campaign called #TacoEmojiEngine, consisting of 600 gifs and photos.A blog written by Sherilyn titled "Behind Taco Bell’s Social Media Strategy", points out that Taco Bell's social media channels are so successful because, "People use social media to connect and have fun, not to drown in posts that are selling products or services. Rather than accepting their position as the passive consumer, now, customers want businesses to feel like a friend; they want authenticity to shine through" (2016). This is why Taco Bell posts tweets like the one on the right - it sounds like a teen talking to a teen, which is exactly the audience that Taco Bell is after. Taco Bell blurs the traditional line between producer and consumer by encouraging social media accounts filled with content that is user-generated, which makes consumers feel appreciated and heard. In fact, there are multiple posts on Taco Bells social media accounts with teens eating Taco Bell on the way to Prom, or just hanging out on the couch. Taco Bell just started a mini series on YouTube titled The #TacoBellClipShow where Taco Bell brand ambassadors post things like Burrito beauty hacks, dancing tacos, and puppets in the drive thru. Taco Bell often posts GIFs (like the one below) to wish people happy birthdays.
If you are interested in seeing Taco Bells online presence for yourself, check them out!
Like: Facebook.com/tacobell
Follow: @TacoBell (Twitter) and Tacobell (Instagram)
Subscribe: YouTube.com/tacobell
Sources:
Cruz, Billy. (2016) Taco Bell's Snapchat Game Is Strong Among Teens, But Does It Sell Tacos? All Things Considered. NPR.http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/10/477336641/taco-bell-s-snapchat-game-is-strong-among-teens-but-does-it-sell-tacos
Sherilyn. (2016). Behind Taco Bell’s Social Media Strategy.meetsoci.com. //www.meetsoci.com/blog/behind-taco-bells-social-media-strategy/
Hi Meredith,
ReplyDeleteNice post. Taco Bell does have a fun and authentic online presence. Listening to their target market and the conversation already taking place has allowed the brand to develop a voice that their customers can relate to. Kerpen talks about the importance of authenticity in chapter 8 of Likeable Social Media. He says that “Overall, you have to be a human and demonstrate a personality. No one wants to feel as is she is talking to a machine or dealing with someone who cannot empathize with her situation” (Kerpen, p. 104). He goes on to discuss the need to be flexible and responsive to customer needs and opinions.
By encouraging and making use of user-generated content, the brand is able to level with their consumers even more. This shows that the brand is listening to their audience and cares about what they have to say. Kerpen talks about brand ambassadors in Chapter 7. These are “the people who swear by your service, who are there all the time, or who consistently refer others to your business” (Kerpen, p. 98). By using an authentic voice and encouraging users to interact, Taco Bell has created an army of social media brand ambassadors. Great example!
Reference
Kerpen, D. (2015). Likeable Social Media (2nd ed.) McGraw Hill.
Hi Meredith!
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I completely agree Taco Bell is doing social media right! They have gotten a lot of credit recently for their social media and integrated marketing campaigns. They are also known for marketing towards their specific target market and keeping them engaged and interested in the brand and its products!
Parent (2013) describes how successful Taco Bell has been in these five steps;
1. They Focus On a Specific Niche
2. They Target Influencers
3. They Are Comfortable in Their Own Skin
4. They Understand The Power Of Pictures
5. They Use Their Fame For The Power Of Good
Taco Bell embraces their fun nature on social media and can be seen challenging other companies, chatting with popular celebrities, participating in pop culture trends, and using memes and emojis to engage consumers sometimes even sending them gifts! (Boboltz, 2014).
Boboltz, Sara. (2014, Feb 28). Whoever Runs Taco Bell’s Twitter Account Deserves A Raise. Huffington Post. Retrieved: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/28/taco-bell-tweets_n_4856259.html
Parent, Jake. (2013, Nov. 12). 5 Ways Taco Bell is Killing It With Social Media. Retrieved: https://mic.com/articles/73129/5-ways-taco-bell-is-killing-it-with-social-media#.yHLM7FwN1
Hi Meredith,
ReplyDeleteYou did a nice job in explaining the success of Taco Bell and it's social media tactics. From your post and an article I read, Taco Bell likes to be daring and find new ways to engage its teenage audience.
In 2015 the company ran a blackout campaign across its social media sites to launch its mobile app. "Taco Bell blacked out its social-media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and even its website. The idea was to play up the announcement and attract attention with a Twitter feed, Facebook page and website all showing nothing but a black screen. Each of those pages only offered a link to the mobile app" (AdAge, 2015). The risk of having confused and irritated followers was worth the payoff. Taco Bell's bold campaign worked making the company the No. 1 spot in the Food & Beverage category in the iTunes Store at the time. It also received majority of its orders the day of the launch from its mobile app.
This further shows that Taco Bell has embraced social media marketing, but also how it's brand personality continues to relate to its audience, fun and daring and repeatedly is able to engage them.
AdAge. (2015, Feb., 18). WHY TACO BELL’S SOCIAL MEDIA BLACKOUT WAS A BRILLIANT CAMPAIGN. AdAge.com: http://adage.com/lookbook/topic/18