Loyalty from the fan community is based on listening & being part of the conversation vs. a traditional one way communication.
Authenticity has been the most important tenet for success for Taco Bell’s social media. Embracing both positive and negative comments result in fans/followers becoming loyal brand evangelists and advocates.
AUTHENTICITY: Be a “real” friend with personality, not customer service reps or “traditional” corporate brand speak
LISTENING AND ASKING: Pose open ended questions for feedback and solicit opinions to engage fans/followers
IN-THE-KNOW: Provide access to information/products ahead of time
TRANSPARENCY: Be honest and truthful - provide a peek under the tent
RESPONSIVENESS: Respond and answer in “real time”
INTIMACY: Engage in 1:1 conversations with individual fans, not just wall postings
VARIETY: Diversify posts by time of day, product, occasion, and type of rewards
FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS: Encourage topics relevant to the brand
PERSONIFY: Address fans directly by name to humanize the brand
FILTERING: Delete inappropriate or mean spirited posts vs. controlling the content and conversations
No, TacoBell.com doesn’t have a shopping cart for chalupas, but it does have a supreme website. And if the word supreme has you in the mood for a Crunchy Taco Supreme, its homepage has a user-friendly location finder (reference 1) to help visitors get their fix faster by providing them with the closest franchise.
Taco Bell’s social network properties (reference 2) are clearly centered at the top of its homepage. These links escort visitors to the brand’s Facebook and Twitter pages for news updates, to YouTube for its ad clips, and to its mobile-friendly site, which has a GPS locator to further help people find the nearest drive-through.
At the top to the far left (reference 3), Taco Bell features its logo, which links back to the homepage. Best of all, when users click it, the bell rings. In this section, users can navigate to “food” to view menus, to “discover” to display new menu items and combo specials, and to “nutrition” for ingredients, a calorie calculator, diabetic options, etc.
Perhaps one of my favorite sections of the Taco Bell homepage is its reputation management (reference 4), which is located in the lower left corner. Here the brand addresses the recently dropped lawsuit regarding its seasoned beef. It is upfront and logical as it explains the issue (via videos, press releases, etc.), providing customers with the facts. Although the questioned quality of its beef was a PR nightmare, there’s no question about the quality of the brand’s site — it’s pure premium.
The company also does an excellent job of displaying large product images and descriptions (reference 5). Since the company isn’t posed with the e-commerce challenge of having to promote all of its menu items on the homepage, it’s able to have a bright graphic background that ties in with its branded image.
“With mobile and smartphone penetration increasing exponentially, we are increasingly leveraging our mobile site, iPhone apps and establishing a mobile marketing database”
What do you most like about your job? The opportunity to work in an exponentially changing landscape.The digital, social and mobile environments are in constant evolution, and adapting to the new way in which people consume information has kept me invigorated and constantly challenged!
What’s the biggest challenge in your job? Building mobile sites and creative, as there is no Interactive Advertising Bureau standards for mobile. You have variations in device settings, carrier, ad networks and screen sizes. In building a traditional Web site, you can test for the two major browsers and be good to go. The variety is endless with mobile!
What is your work priority for 2010? In keeping with our vision for digital marketing, we want provide our on-the go customers the capability to access Tacobell.com from anywhere at any time.
Keynote Speaker at 2009 IAB Marketplace: Mobile Conference
Danielle Wolfson: Senior Associate Manager at Taco Bell, gives an Advertiser’s perspective on mobile marketing.
The unique characteristics of the mobile Internet and applications have already enticed many big brands to incorporate the platform into comprehensive marketing strategies. Taco Bell delivered the first of many creative examples throughout the event. Danielle Wolfson, Senior Associate Manager, Taco Bell Interactive, and her team understand how the functionality of the platform puts her closer to overall objectives. When the brand launched a mobile platform in February 2009 to provide utility to the “out and about” consumer, it worked hard to keep its value proposition consistent. The trademark low price menu and late-night hours pair precisely with the in-the-palm-of-your-hand technology to drive hungry customers through the doors of local stores. The menu page accounts for 50 percent of the total page views on the mobile site—proving that 24/7 access is valuable to the specific target audience.
