• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, April 16, 2013

Taco Bell’s latest TV ad, for its new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, aims to appeal to today’s teenagers -- and their parents -- by capturing a “first kiss” moment intentionally reminiscent of John Hughes movies.

The creative, from Deutsch LA, shows a teenage guy working up his courage, then stealing a quick first kiss from his girlfriend as she eats one of the tacos in a dark car outside of a Taco Bell. 

A voiceover asks: “Are you just gonna stare at her?,” and, after the super-fast kiss, declares: “It was weird -- good weird. She tasted like Doritos…and you just wanted to do it again.”

The spot is meant to reinforce Taco Bell’s “Live Mas” tagline by suggesting that the philosophy helps people take small leaps that they wouldn’t normally take, according to Deutsch. 

The Hughes-like feeling is enhanced by the spot’s background track, “All Eyes on You” by St. Lucia, which has an ’80s vibe. 

Director Zach Math, who also shot two other recent Taco Bell spots (“Hola” and “The Most Obvious Idea in the World”), worked to create actual tension between the boy and the girl, reports the agency. Math wouldn’t let them talk to each other until the actual shooting began; then he tore a $100-dollar bill in half and gave one half to each actor, saying that they could only tape it back together again after the shoot -- if they went out on a date.