Taco Bell CMO Says the Key to Model Success Is Studying YouTube Feedback

Taco Bell Chief Advertising Officer Taylor Montgomery believes if manufacturers misstep with their followers, they in all probability aren’t listening very effectively.

Surrounded by diehard followers who drove from throughout Southern California to converge upon Taco Bell’s Many years Y2K launch occasion on Thursday evening in West Hollywood, Montgomery — wearing an outfit plucked from the early aughts — reveled within the raucous help that stemmed from being “courageous sufficient at hand the model over to our followers and see what they do.”

The occasion, held at West Hollywood’s Zouk nightclub and celebrating Crunchwrap’s twentieth birthday, was stuffed with taco zealots clad in early 2000s style — chokers, cheetah print, and all. They spent the evening sampling re-released menu objects like Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos and caramel apple empanadas, consuming Baja Blast-infused cocktails, and jamming to DJ units that includes Missy Elliot hits along with a reside efficiency from Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Jon.

The reverberating enthusiasm surrounding Taco Bell’s launch social gathering stood in stark distinction to different restaurant information this week, specifically that of Cracker Barrel, the basic southern consolation restaurant, which discovered itself in scorching salsa after the rollout of a modernized emblem left followers and President Donald Trump calling for a course correction or a boycott.

“Simply take heed to your client,” Montgomery stated, talking usually in regards to the current information cycle. “Take heed to your client and on the identical time, be actually true to who you might be. I feel that is the stability that probably the most iconic manufacturers want, and you are able to do each of these issues on the identical time.”

Nonetheless, he added, “There is a distinction between listening and listening to. These are two very various things.”

For many years, Taco Bell has loved a cultlike reputation amongst its most fervent followers. Devoted fan accounts on social media observe each product launch and cross-brand collaboration. One of many main manufacturers of the Yum! portfolio, Taco Bell has meaningfully outpaced different eating places within the quick-service sector all through 2024 and into this 12 months, at the same time as inflation considerations have mounted and client spending has slowed. Earnings stories present that whereas many fast-food chains have reported sluggish gross sales, Taco Bell’s same-store gross sales have been resilient 12 months over 12 months.

Montgomery, now in his fourth 12 months of main the corporate’s branding, credit that success to having a group that “does the most effective job in the complete business, possibly in the complete world,” to essentially perceive what its shoppers are saying. Nonetheless, he stated he applies a “secret” technique to make sure Taco Bell is capturing all of the perception it will possibly.

“There are three completely different ways in which you have to be in contact together with your client,” Montgomery stated.

The primary is “what all people else” within the business will get: the market analysis. That knowledge is efficacious and may act as a tenet, nevertheless it does not paint a whole image.

“The second piece is to essentially perceive what shoppers are saying about you on social each single day,” Montgomery stated. “And it is not simply the loudest elements, however who’re your actual followers?”

Which will imply a small however persistent YouTube channel constantly reviewing merchandise or commenting on the model’s posts. To know who’s Most worthy to your model, and is a part of the core viewers you serve, you have to meet them the place they’re at — often on-line.

“I’ll go and skim each single remark,” Montgomery stated. “You have to learn each single remark, have a look at the entire posts.”

Whenever you’re a model as massive as Taco Bell, Montgomery stated, you may’t simply restrict your self to social media suggestions. You have additionally obtained to see how folks expertise the model in actual time.

“The third factor is — our class is so ingrained in tradition — all the pieces’s a spotlight group,” Montgomery stated. “So once I take my little ladies to bounce observe, I will ask all of the dad and mom, ‘Hey, what did you concentrate on that factor that we launched?’ For those who’re actually listening, all of the insights you need are proper there.”

When a model thinks it is doing all these issues however its management is not doing them authentically, missteps are certain to occur — that is the distinction between listening and listening to, Montgomery stated.

“You possibly can take heed to what shoppers are saying, however for those who’re actually internalizing and listening to deeply what shoppers are asking for, what they actually love and recognize about your model, and also you keep actually true to that, most instances, you are gonna get it proper,” he stated.

Judging by the dance flooring, the place followers decked out in butterfly clips and puka shells partied prefer it was 2002 to have fun the Crunchwrap’s birthday, Montgomery — and Taco Bell — are getting it proper.