Some pranksters (that may or may not be employed by Taco Bell and/or its ad agency, DraftFCB/Orange County) posted flyers in the small town of Bethel, Alaska announcing that a new Taco Bell would be opening on July 4th.
The flyers included a fake web address but a real phone number belonging to a local citizen, who ended up fielding many unwanted calls about possible jobs at the new fast food restaurant.
The hoax rocked enough boats to make the Anchorage paper, and the LA Times. After news of the hoax, and the hungry cries of a remote Alaska town, reached Orange County (assuming the whole thing didn’t originate there), the agency and Taco Bell stepped up.
It turns out residents of Bethel were truly stoked to get a Taco Bell in their town of 6000, considering the nearest Taco Bell is 400 miles away in Anchorage. So naturally, they were bummed to learn that they’d been duped.
Enter the thoughtful brand and its air-lifted taco truck, equipped to serve 10,000 free Doritos Locos Tacos to the Bethelites. Aslo enter the camera crews to catch it all on tape, so the whole corporate good will thing could be replayed in an ad campaign now running on TV.
Hat Tip: The Inspiration Room
