Taco Bellsold a whopping 100 million Doritos Locos Tacos in 10 weeks — the biggest launch in the history of the fast food chain. The item has since passed 200 million in sales.
Fast Company's J.J. McCorvey interviewed Taco Bell CMO Brian Niccol who described what it took to make the Doritos Locos Tacos successful.
It wasn't enough to tell customers, hey, these taco shells taste like Doritos and you should eat them, he said.
Instead, it was about allowing the customers to tell the brand's story, and having them run with it.
Niccol explained to Fast Company:
"Once the idea is no longer just a Taco Bell idea and becomes the customer’s thing, it’s almost like they’re going to socialize for us. They own it. They get convicted about it. The next thing you know, they’re telling their friends they gotta go try it. So the second you can get it to move from, we’re telling you should go try this, to consumers actually advocating for it, that’s when the brand moves into an experience that is worth you repeating."
Taco Bell let the customers have control, and it did it through social, mobile and even had a national TV ad that featured a customer's story. It worked.
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