• USA Today, Wednesday, May 14, 2008 9:16 AM

Taco Bell is unveiling a 2008 product game plan today that could nudge folks to forget the past and instead drive into Taco Bell in droves: cheap eats. The image-challenged chain--which has slowly but methodically regained its footing following an E. coli outbreak in late 2006 and a rat infestation at a New York City unit in 2007--will roll out a "Why Pay More?" value menu with 10 products. Four of them are new--priced at 79, 89 and 99 cents.

The chain's image of cheap eats will be all over the tube as it unleashes TV spots this weekend that feature folks hunting for loose change--under couches, inside car cup holders and in their pockets--to pay for food at Taco Bell.

This will be Taco Bell's largest product rollout--and its biggest marketing campaign, says David Ovens, the chain's CMO. But by taking on so much in such a short time, it could be playing with fire. "It could overburden franchisees with way too many new things at once," warns Barbara Brooks, a corporate consultant. There's also an issue of whether cheap eats cheapen a brand's image, says Steven Addis, CEO of Addis Creson, a brand consultant.

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