Taco Bell's Drive Thru Diet Is Unbelievable!

When I first saw the Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet commercial, I couldn't believe it. And that, apparently, is the way most people saw it. Turns out the spot has created a firestorm of negative buzz in the blogosphere for Taco Bell after they jumped on the Jared and Subway bandwagon.

The crux of the problem for Taco Bell is indeed believability. It's failing to realize that no matter how many people enjoy eating their fast food, it's a huge leap to make them or anyone else believe it's healthy or may help you lose weight.

Fact is, you could eat 1250 calories of anything every day and lose weight. Calories in vs. calories expended. So it's not that Taco Bell is lying and I'm sure that, just like Jared on a Subway diet, TB's Christine really lost the weight. But again, when you're trying to convince the masses, the problem is believability.

It's fairly easy to believe that Jared could do it by eating chicken and fresh veggies on a six inch whole wheat bun. It's a complete mental stretch to believe that Christine did it eating Taco Bell. Because no matter how you package the product or what you call it, it's Taco Bell. People love it because it's dangerous. It's late-night, greasy after-the-bar food. It's a satisfying, secret lunch you won't tell your wife or hubby about. 

And that's the perception. And that's why this isn't going to work for Taco Bell.

While it's certainly true you can lose weight eating Taco Bell, it's just patently unbelievable because of the nature and perception of their products... their brand - bad food is good for you. In this case, they lost sight of their marketable truths. Unbelievable!

When I first saw the Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet commercial, I couldn't believe it. And that, apparently, is the way most people saw it. Turns out the spot has created a firestorm of negative buzz in the blogosphere for Taco Bell after they jumped on the Jared and Subway bandwagon.

The crux of the problem for Taco Bell is indeed believability. It's failing to realize that no matter how many people enjoy eating their fast food, it's a huge leap to make them or anyone else believe it's healthy or may help you lose weight.

Fact is, you could eat 1250 calories of anything every day and lose weight. Calories in vs. calories expended. So it's not that Taco Bell is lying and I'm sure that, just like Jared on a Subway diet, TB's Christine really lost the weight. But again, when you're trying to convince the masses, the problem is believability.

It's fairly easy to believe that Jared could do it by eating chicken and fresh veggies on a six inch whole wheat bun. It's a complete mental stretch to believe that Christine did it eating Taco Bell. Because no matter how you package the product or what you call it, it's Taco Bell. People love it because it's dangerous. It's late-night, greasy after-the-bar food. It's a satisfying, secret lunch you won't tell your wife or hubby about. 

And that's the perception. And that's why this isn't going to work for Taco Bell.

While it's certainly true you can lose weight eating Taco Bell, it's just patently unbelievable because of the nature and perception of their products... their brand - bad food is good for you. In this case, they lost sight of their marketable truths. Unbelievable!

When I first saw the Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet commercial, I couldn't believe it. And that, apparently, is the way most people saw it. Turns out the spot has created a firestorm of negative buzz in the blogosphere for Taco Bell after they jumped on the Jared and Subway bandwagon.

The crux of the problem for Taco Bell is indeed believability. It's failing to realize that no matter how many people enjoy eating their fast food, it's a huge leap to make them or anyone else believe it's healthy or may help you lose weight.

Fact is, you could eat 1250 calories of anything every day and lose weight. Calories in vs. calories expended. So it's not that Taco Bell is lying and I'm sure that, just like Jared on a Subway diet, TB's Christine really lost the weight. But again, when you're trying to convince the masses, the problem is believability.

It's fairly easy to believe that Jared could do it by eating chicken and fresh veggies on a six inch whole wheat bun. It's a complete mental stretch to believe that Christine did it eating Taco Bell. Because no matter how you package the product or what you call it, it's Taco Bell. People love it because it's dangerous. It's late-night, greasy after-the-bar food. It's a satisfying, secret lunch you won't tell your wife or hubby about. 

And that's the perception. And that's why this isn't going to work for Taco Bell.

While it's certainly true you can lose weight eating Taco Bell, it's just patently unbelievable because of the nature and perception of their products... their brand - bad food is good for you. In this case, they lost sight of their marketable truths. Unbelievable!

Comments

[Advanced Acai]

Wonderful post... Very informational and educational as usual!

[Greg]

The disclaimers are what doomed these ads for me. That and the phrase "i replaced my drive-thru meals with Taco-Bell." How many drive-thru meals do you eat if you're on a diet? That could mean one meal a week or a month. So how can Taco Bell take credit for the diet? They could be just a small, small, small part of her overall diet. Jared clearly said he ate Subway everyday. One for lunch and one for dinner. The healthiest drive-thru meal is the one where you drive-thru without actually stopping to get anything.

[Gene Brady]

I thought the same thing, Russ. When I saw their TV ad I thought, "WTF? 'The Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet'? What's next? 'The Marlboro Inhale Health Tips'? The 'Dairy Queen Cardio Challenge'?

I could lose weight eating anything - burgers, ice cream, baby back ribs, if at the end of the day I burn more calories than I eat.

Talk about a disconnect. Who exactly are they marketing to? People that don't really know about Taco Bell?

Read the quickie disclaimers. The disclaimers pretty much disclaim the ad.