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Taco Bell's 'Drive-Thru Diet' Campaign Takes A Thrashing

  • Ad Age, Tuesday, January 5, 2010 10:52 AM
Taco Bell is mimicking Subway with its "Drive-Thru Diet" ad campaign featuring one Christine Dougherty, who purportedly lost 54 pounds over two years by eating from the chain's Fresco menu and doing some exercising. Bloggers have tended toward "blistering" in their response, Emily Bryson York reports.

The volume of online posts in social media about Taco Bell increased 44% after it launched the diet but the tone has become more negative and its Zeta Buzz rating has dropping six points (although comments remain 67% positive overall).

"It seems like [the campaign is] backfiring in a big way," says Al DiGuido, Zeta Interactive CEO. "It seems like this execution has people really confused and now folks are lobbying in their own way to have it stopped."

A Taco Bell spokesman says that Dougherty wrote Taco Bell a letter about her weight loss and would like her story to inspire others. "It's our hope that people who are looking to eat fewer calories and fat will hear about our new menu and Fresco-style foods and learn how they can fit them into their lifestyles," says Rob Poetsch.

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