Doritos Locos Tacos and Logos

Its late and this post is about branding. I’m here to congratulate Taco Bell (RIP Taco Bell Dog). A few years ago, they (TB) had a public relations nightmare on their hands with a report that their ground beef was at the lowest quality scale allowable for human consumption (on this planet).Ground beef at TB was considered one grade above dog food at Grade D. Ad campaigns were in the gutter and the TB brand was in the toilet. In 2011, the chain had just come off its third year of flat sales with a 1.4% decline. 🙁

However, they’ve turned it around! With over $1billion in sales and year over income growth up a whopping 73%. What saved the chain’s image? Better food quality? Nope. Healthier food options? NO! Surprise! it was saved by the Doritos Locos Tacos. Next up? the Cool Ranch Dorito Loco Taco El Diablo! Surprise again, its the same old shmeat except now on a Dorito.

Normally, I tend to see the lighter side of serious issues. It’s a curse really. In the case of TB, I was poking fun at the food. But, in studying the TB Dorito Locos Tacos campaign… makes me ask “why don’t more brands live mas, and ramp up the branding?”

What happens when you allow your product to become synonymous with dog food? The brand declines. What happens when you don’t allow your brand to stay current? The image suffers. What happens when you ignore social media? Nobody knows who you are (mental availability is crucial to live mas). But what happens when you merge one cool logo with another and sound the victory bell? 78% growth, (200 calories, 390 mg of sodium, and a cure for the common hangover) is what happens baby.

So tonight, i’m celebrating a branding success story (Two-hearted ale in hand). The moral is no matter what you sell, you can still turn it around. Want to be successful? Create a cool logo, gain traction, and merge it with another cool logo. People see what they want to see. Often they see what you want them to see… A spatula of hot steamy cheesy brown-something, served into a delicious logo, all wrapped up in another logo. YUM! So, yeah, for ____’s sakes don’t ____ up the logo! That’s your most important branding tool.

Don’t dwell on what was.  Kick your brand into high gear, and for goodness sake, get on board with New Media—because hello! That’s where your consumers hang out. 🙂