Ring my Taco Bell

Music gets saucy

Taco Bell has launched its third annual Battle Of The Bands contest. The three winners (selected from a poll of 100 bands) will have their band name and website printed on the restaurant’s sauce packets. They will also have a song recorded by a producer of their choosing and appear in future advertising for the fast food chain.

Each of the 100 bands gets $500’s worth of Fourthmeal credit (what Taco Bell describes as the meal between dinner and breakfast) and one song streamed via the Feed The Beat website (with a link to iTunes).

“We are music fans here at Taco Bell and we want to see these artists succeed,” said David Ovens, Chief Marketing Officer, Taco Bell.

So what?: Yum Brands – the brand behind the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell restaurant chains – understands how music can leverage its appeal (KFC is currently targeting young gamers via Guitar Hero). Battle Of The Bands contests were 10 a penny in 2007, but there are still some that offer that more credibility. The structure of this campaign at least meets a band’s basic needs (by feeding them) and offers all 100 a chance to be heard and bought, as well as offering greater control over their future.

“The no-one-really-wins perception of last year’s flurry of Battle Of The Bands competitions has given way to a more complete 360º mindset as brands seek to capitalise on their newfound competition winning assets. A more appetising prospect for both parties.”
Giles Fitzgerald, Editor, Five Eight

www.feedthebeat.com