Taco Bell's Spiciest Marketing Campaigns Of All Time

Just as Taco Bell is no stranger to advertising blitzes, U.S. consumers are no stranger to the fast food chain's seemingly ubiquitous attempts to remain ever present in the public eye. Frankly, unless you've spent the past few decades living in an underground bunker — a la Kimmy the Unbreakable (Ellie Kemper) — you're almost certainly well-acquainted with the Bell's many attempts to ensure we never (ever) forget to live más.

Not that we're complaining. After all, Taco Bell's delectably scrumptious collection of Mexican classics and outside-the-bun concoctions make it (arguably) peerless in the quick-service restaurant industry. More than that, though, its innate impulse to go big and bold at all times (with both its food and marketing strategies) has spurred the creation of some truly memorable — and, might we say, spicy — advertisements throughout its existence.

In fact, a number of the chain's more noteworthy marketing campaigns have been positively picante — as is befitting a restaurant known for selling south-of-the-border culinary fare. With that in mind (and with beads of sweat forming along our brow from the heat), let's take a stroll down memory lane and revisit some of the most unforgettable ads from the fast food joint's history. Before we run to the kitchen to chug a glass of milk to relieve our burning tongue, allow us to reveal Taco Bell's spiciest marketing campaigns of all time.

Certain events in life are so monumental that they leave an indelible impression. For millennials (that oft-forgotten, never-written about generation), few moments were as consequential as the day Taco Bell went all in on its name and purchased the Liberty Bell ... not! After all (timely '90s joke side), everyone knows Taco Bell never actually bought the nation's cracked symbol of freedom. But on April 1, 1996, the fast food chain pulled off an all-time April Fool's joke — and top-drawer marketing campaign — by releasing a series of newspaper ads stating it was, in fact, the new owner of the Liberty Bell.

Now, it's hard to believe anyone would take this patently absurd claim at face value — mainly because the Liberty Bell wasn't (and isn't) for sale. But for a brief moment in time? Taco Bell's clever ploy worked. In fact, some gullible folks were completely fooled by the ad, which stated the company made the purchase "in an effort to help the national debt" and declared the national treasure would "now be called the 'Taco Liberty Bell.'" Those who fell for the gag were understandably enraged.

Of course, after then-National Park Service Director Roger Kennedy squashed the rumor, the uproar subsided. And while the Liberty Bell still resides outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (rather than nestled in the lobby of Taco Bell's headquarters), the memory of this stunt lingers like a jalapeño on the palate.

When a company develops a marketing strategy, does it ever expect that same campaign will still be used (and used successfully) more than 15 years after it launches? Perhaps. Still, if Taco Bell predicted its Steal a Base, Steal a Taco promotion would be more than a one-off appearance upon its 2007 debut, well ... we'd have to color ourselves impressed.

Of course, the now-long-running collaboration with Major League Baseball — held each fall during the World Series — isn't memorable solely because of its longevity (although that helps). Quite frankly, we'd argue it's also the most customer-friendly promotion (from Taco Bell or any other fast food establishment) we've encountered. After all, there's no risk or effort required on the part of customers — just the ability to cash in on a delightful free treat if a player delivers the goods.

Interestingly enough, despite the name, Taco Bell hasn't always offered a taco after a successful stolen base. In 2015, in fact, the restaurant still gave fans a free item after the Kansas City Royals' Lorenzo Cain swiped a bag during Game 1 — but it offered an A.M. Crunchwrap instead (with tacos back in play by 2016). Should baseball fans plan for another year of this iconic (if costly) endeavor from Taco Bell? We can't predict the future — but we wouldn't skip this year's Fall Classic, either.

Did you know Taco Bell has served breakfast since 2014? Of course you did — because everyone in the world knows about the company's much-ballyhooed entry into the fast food breakfast market that year. Of course, the full-court press presented by the fast food joint in anticipation (and the immediate aftermath) of its breakfast rollout ensured no one missed the arrival of Taco Bell's breakfast.

Actually, a big reason for this advertising strategy's inclusion on our list is the methodology employed by Taco Bell — namely, it went after the competition. One commercial featured numerous Ronald McDonalds – as in actual people with that name, not Mickey D's' famous clown mascot — declaring their preference for Taco Bell over McDonald's. In another, Taco Bell took aim at the Egg McMuffin's supposedly small size and uninspiring taste (two complaints we've never personally had when noshing on a McMuffin).

Now, if all Taco Bell had done upon expanding its menu to the morning hours was announce it was going to start offering breakfast, we wouldn't be discussing it. But with a marketing campaign largely centered on denigrating the competition (McDonald's in particular) as a means of raising its own stature, Taco Bell's initial foray into the breakfast world continues to resonate.

Few prospects are more terrifying to consider than living somewhere devoid of an easily accessible Taco Bell (take that, death and failure!). Unfortunately, this nightmare scenario is a cold, hard reality for residents of Bethel, Alaska, a town nearly 400 miles away from Anchorage, Alaska (and the nearest Taco Bell). Understandably, then, Bethel residents were crestfallen after flyers announcing a new, in-town location in 2012 turned out to be fake. But upon hearing about the scam, Taco Bell seized on the opportunity and flew a literal ton of food to the eager-for-Bell town — enough to make 10,000 Doritos Locos tacos.

Now, unlike every other marketing campaign discussed in this article, shipping all this food by helicopter to a remote Alaskan town didn't begin with Taco Bell itself. Yet the fast food chain is never one to miss an opportunity for viral publicity — or turn down the chance to garner some goodwill with the general public.

We're not entirely sure what the purpose of this mean-spirited prank was (it was the result of a petty dispute between a couple of residents in town). Either way, while folks living in Bethel still don't have a Taco Bell to call their own as of 2023, no one can take away their memories of that glorious 2012 experience.

As the number of available venues for corporate advertisements has increased throughout the 21st century, Taco Bell has made sure to take advantage of any (and seemingly all) opportunities it encounters. Even the less-obvious routes at a company's disposal have offered a bounty of marketing opportunities for the Mexican fast food spot. In that regard, while some might have been taken aback by the Taco Bell Hotel that briefly opened in 2019, well ...  is it really that shocking to anyone with an intimate knowledge of Taco Bell's marketing history?

After the refurbishing of an old hotel in Palm Springs, California, the pop-up spot — called The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel & Resort — was a hot commodity among Taco Bell boosters. In fact, with a limited-time operation (it was open only from August 8 to August 12 that year), the hotel reached capacity instantly, and all rooms were booked within two minutes.

After the brief run of glory, the Taco Bell Hotel experiment ended, with no indication that The Bell Resort would welcome guests at any future time. Then again, given that the Mexican Pizza triumphantly returned in 2023, perhaps the cause isn't as hopeless as we fear.

Realistically, even without reading this article, most folks are aware that a number of Taco Bell's marketing campaigns have been real humdingers — particularly in the 21st century. But did you realize that none of the fast food Mexican chain's famous marketing campaigns had been launched globally before 2021? Of course, being Taco Bell, it had to go over the top with its first worldwide promotion, so it took advantage of the greatest natural marketing tool in the world: the moon.

Now, unlike Pizza Hut (which once considered using a laser to project its logo onto the lunar surface), Taco Bell didn't plan on doing anything specific to the celestial object. In fact, its Taco Moon campaign was actually somewhat understated (for Taco Bell, that is). Launched to coincide with a supposed-new lunar phase, the aforementioned Taco Moon — so-named because, according to Taco Bell, it "really does look like a Taco Bell taco" — the company offered a free taco (of some variety) in more than 20 international markets on May 4, 2021.

No one knows for sure whether the gambit to go global will work in Taco Bell's favor over time. But with no reason to wager against it, we're sure it'll reach new heights with little to no difficulty.