Taco Bell uses “Ronald McDonald” to promote breakfast menu

In a time when who you know matters more than what you know, it comes as no surprise that franchises turn to name-dropping to stay ahead of the cut-throat competition.

Taco Bell’s new ad campaign to launch its breakfast menu set the internet on fire as it took name-dropping to a whole new cheeky level.  The ad features fast-food rival McDonald’s mascot’s name – “Ronald McDonald.”

Take a look at the ad and then keep reading:

Taco Bell found 25 guys across America, whose real names happen to be Ronald McDonald, and featured them devouring a waffle taco – one of the items on the Mexican fast-food chain’s new breakfast menu.

Created by the agency Deutsch L.A., the ad starts with a narrator saying, “To show you just how much people are loving Taco Bell’s all new breakfast, we asked some very special people.”

A bunch of guys then introduce themselves one-by-one, as Ronald McDonald, each eating a waffle taco and “lovin’ it.” That’s followed by a group shot of all of them saying in unison: “My name is Ronald McDonald, and I love Taco Bell’s new breakfast.”

The ad ends with the narrator finally saying “Breakfast anybody can love — even Ronald McDonald.”

Crisp. Clean. Cheeky.

King of the castle

While McDonald’s currently sits on the fast-food breakfast throne owning 25 per cent market share, Taco Bell has certainly made a grand entrance – whether ethical, tasteful or otherwise. According to research firm Technomic, breakfast is an estimated $50 billion US segment in the $200 billion fast food industry. And with those kind of numbers,the on-going fast food war is no joke.

Twitter reacts

The ad resulted in Taco Bell becoming a “Trending Topic” on Twitter.

Some thought the ad was brilliant and loved it:

 

 

 

 

 

While others hated it…

 

But whether brilliant or lame, ethical or sleazy, Taco Bell has achieved what it set out to do: Get everyone talking about its new breakfast.

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