Taco Bell's Newest Believable-But-Fake Movie Trailer Pokes Fun at Musical Biopics

Out of the vast range of products that Taco Bell promotes, the brand’s Nacho Fries have carved out a unique space … in the form of fake movie trailers. So far, three epic longer-form ads have spoofed the format: a thriller (“Web of Fries”) starring Josh Duhamel, a dystopian sequel and, more recently, a send-up of Interstellar featuring James Marsden. Taco Bell has brought back the limited-edition product and the announcement is accompanied by another trailer, created by agency partner Deutsch, set in the music business. “Chasing Gold” is the aspirational rise-and-fall story of a singer (Golden Globe winner Darren Criss) who gets his big break after being discovered by an agent (played by comedian Chris Diamantopoulos) who hears him singing about his deep love of Nacho Fries in an alley. [kickout id="5"] Criss’ star burns white hot, only to have it come crashing down when it’s discovered that he can’t sing about anything other than Nacho Fries. The analogy is somewhat obvious: fame, like Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries, doesn’t last forever. It is a none-too-subtle nod to the recent crop of films and biopics like A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, and follows a predictable "price-of-fame" template. As the trio of the brand’s previous ads for the limited-time product, the trailer is highly entertaining and very well-produced. The song itself is catchy, the overall idea makes its points without taking itself too seriously and latches on nicely to the zeitgeist in music. [kickout id="1"] According to Taco Bell’s chief global brand officer Marisa Thalberg, the concept has proven to be successful. “We love this idea because it seems to have an enormous amount of potential and legs,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to stick to a certain type of genre and build that anticipation for consumers along with the product itself.” [kickout id="2"] Indeed, the formula appears to work well, as evidenced by the success of the previous trailers. While they have a big-budget feel and could be perceived as a gimmick of sorts, the work from the brand and Deutsch has remained smart, playful and, most importantly, accessible. Everyone is in on the joke, and it shows that the brand has a level of warmth and sense of self-awareness. “[Our marketing] is a reflection of a level of confidence we’ve built,” said Thalberg. “It’s evolved, but we have to earn it [with consumers]. It’s also matched with a lot of humility about how challenging this business can be, and the responsibility of how we delight our fans continuously. We show up with a voice that makes sense for the brand, and that gives us the confidence to do some bold things.” [kickout id="3"] Yet, like most creative concepts, there could conceivably be a shelf life for the movie trailer parody genre. Thalberg feels good about the campaign's durability but is also realistic (and confident) about the next great ideas should it come to that. “We never feel locked into a concept,” she said. “We have a wide range of storytelling across our different initiatives, and we’re constantly pushing ourselves for what’s next. But if it ever feels like we’re trying too hard or it’s contrived, we’ll move on.” [kickout id="4"] In the meantime, for Nacho Fries, it’s full steam ahead with the movie trailer concept and one that could top the charts of admired work from the brand and agency. [kickout id="6"] CREDITS: Taco Bell Chief Marketing Officer: Marisa Thalberg SVP, Advertising & Brand Engagement: Tracee Larocca Director of Advertising: Ashley Prollamante Manager, Brand Experience: Michelle Prieve Associate Manager, Brand Experience: Kristen Powell Deutsch Chief Creative Officer, Los Angeles: Brett Craig Creative Director: Jeremiah Wassom Creative Director: Chris Jones Associate Creative Director: Mikey Sison Senior Copywriter: Daniel Chen Production Head of Production: Diego de la Maza Executive Integrated Producer: Paul Roy Senior Integrated Producer: Samantha Bonom Integrated Producer: Steven Frailey Music Director: Eryk Rich Senior Music Supervisor: Chase Butters Music Supervisor: Dez Davis Digital Production Executive Integrated Producer, Digital: Laura Tron Senior Integrated Producer, Digital: Ariel Theraube Associate Integrated Producer, Digital: Kemi Adeniji Design Design Director: Jean-Lou Renoux Designer: Erica Park Junior Designer: Jeremy Gozzip Account Management: EVP, Group Account Director: Matt Matzen Account Director: Kelly Childers Account Supervisor: Katie Heinerikson Account Executive: Eddy Perezic Assistant Account Executive: Kristen Engasser Business Affairs/Traffic: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias Executive Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey Senior Business Affairs Manager: Charissa Kinney Director of Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Ana Barraza Broadcast Traffic Manager: Anna Brito Account Planning: EVP, Head of Strategy: Kelsey Hodgkin VP, Group Strategy Director: Armando Potter Strategist: Troy Gary Executives: CEO, North America: Mike Sheldon Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty Production: Live-Action: Neighborhood Watch Director: Jeremy Saulnier DP: Larkin Seiple Executive Producer: Richard Peete Executive Producer: Matthew Snetzko Executive Producer: Traci Carlson Line Producer: Theolonious Brooks Food: French Butter Films Director/DP: Brett Froomer Executive Producer: Ivo Knezevic First AD: Tim Harris Production Service Company (Mexico City): The Lift Managing Director: Avelino Rodriguez Line Producer/LiveAction: Fuad Abed Dalton Line Producer/Food: Jose Aguirre Public Relations: Essiak Fernandez Sr Bidder: Brooklyn Fecter Editorial: Union Editorial Editor: Jim Haygood Assistant Editor: Brian Leong Executive Producer: Joe Ross President/Managing Director: Michael Raimondi Color: Company 3 Senior Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld Senior Producer: Gabriel Wakeman Executive Producer: Ashley McKim Post (VFX/Finishing): Chimney Executive Producer: Ron Moon Producer: Susie Cobb VFX Supervisor: Frederick Ross VFX Artist: Felix Thedeby Audio: Lime Studios Audio Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant Mixer: Peter Lapinski Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Music: Jingle Punks CCO/Songwriter/Producer: Jared Gutstadt Songwriter/Track Production: Jesse Siebenberg Songwriter: Scarlett Burke Executive Creative Director: Matt Chambless Senior Producer: Miles Kennedy