Taco Bell patrons bought 100 million Doritos Locos Tacos in the
first 10 weeks after their March 2012 introduction,
Ad Age reported in September 2013. By April 2013, that figure
had topped 375 million, according to Taco Bell, making them (then)
the chain's most successful product launch. But ordering one or
more of those tacos likely meant patrons weren't ordering as many
other main dishes. Nacho Fries are more of a lift to orders, with
people buying a taco, for example, and adding the fries on the
side.
In any case, Nacho Fries are clearly a big boost for Taco Bell,
which says it has already served 9 million pounds of potatoes and
600,000 gallons of Nacho Cheese. The fries, which can also be
"hack" ordered to be added to other items for 49 cents, are backed
by a "Web
of Fries" movie-style campaign from Deutsch starring Josh
Duhamel. For now, Nacho Fries are only on the menu through
early April. We bet they either become a permanent addition or come
back often as a limited-time offer. After all, a year after Nacho
Cheese Doritos Locos tacos came the Cool Ranch version. A Fiery
variety followed in August.
The kids are alright
Fitbit is pushing fitness for the whole family. Earlier this
week, the 11-year-old company announced the Fitbit Ace, a $99.95
health tracker wristband made just for kids. Fitbit says parents
can monitor their kids' connections through a family app. The
device will be available in the second quarter of this year.
Google is where it's at
Google's dominance in shopping ads is on the rise, according to
a new report from Adthena, a London-based analyst of AI and
machine-learning search. The company, which just announced it will
open a U.S. headquarters in Austin, found that Google shopping ads
comprised 80 percent of all retail search spend of U.S. and U.K.
advertisers in the first quarter of 2018. U.S. fashion and apparel
marketers were the biggest users of Google's "product listing
ads."
Breaking ankles
Coca-Cola's Powerade has an answer to Pepsi's Uncle Drew. The
sports drink brand this week is out with a new ad starring an
elderly man fantasizing about having a mean crossover basketball
dribble back in the day. It's part of a new campaign by Wieden & Kennedy Portland called "That's
Some Kind of Power" that dramatizes over-the-top athletic feats
that might have occured yesteryear, had Powerade been around.
PepsiCo's Uncle Drew character is
an aging hoopster who is still pretty vicious on the court.
Powerade's new ads, set to air during March Madness, come amid
sluggish sports drink sales trends. Coca-Cola's dollar sales on
sports drinks fell 5.7 percent in the year ending Feb. 24, while
PepsiCo's sales (Gatorade) dropped 4.4 percent, according to a
Wells Fargo report citing Nielsen.
Ready, set, crack …
Kraft Heinz has enlisted the help of Houston Texans teammates
Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins to hype Just Crack An Egg, its
new breakfast-in-a-cup line. The NFL players' passing and catching
skills are shown as they toss an egg in a kitchen and elsewhere.
The product itself is barely seen in the spot, produced by
Olson Engage, which lasts longer than it takes to
prepare the product in the microwave.
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