Taco Bell Finally Tells the Story of the ‘Franchise Wars’ in a Sci-Fi Homage to Demolition Man

In the riveting advert for Web of Fries II: Franchise Wars, we see the return of hero Josh Duhamel in a future dystopia where the downtrodden common people have launched a rebellion against Big Fry, which is attempting to hide the truth from the public about nacho fries.

The chain originally released nacho fries in the spring but has brought them back for a limited time due to popular demand. And the trailer arrives just in time for the film’s 25th anniversary.

“When you create a fake trailer for a fake movie for a real product that surpasses all expectations of products (and movie trailers), it seems inevitable that you have to create a sequel,” said Marisa Thalberg, chief brand officer of Taco Bell. “And what better way to tease this sequel than pay homage to a real movie’s 25th anniversary—one that had a very compelling view of a fictional future?”

In Demolition Man, a 1993 satirical take on American consumerism and political correctness, Taco Bell is revealed to be the only restaurant chain that survived the “Franchise Wars,” and we see that both the atmosphere and menu had changed by 2032. Here’s a look back at the scene, followed by the first Web of Fries installment:

(Non-American fans of the movie might be confused about Taco Bell’s tie-in to Demolition Man, since some overseas edits of the movie replaced the chain with Pizza Hut, which was felt to have better international brand awareness.)

The new Taco Bell campaign will culminate with a Demolition Man pop-up at a Taco Bell in San Diego July 19 to 21.

The Web of Fries campaign is produced in collaboration with Deutsch. Adweek just reported that former Taco Bell account lead Walter Smith, presently with dual titles of executive vice president and group account director, will exit at the end of the month based on mutual agreement.

CREDITS:
Chief Brand Officer – Marisa Thalberg
SVP, Advertising and Brand Engagement – Tracee Larocca
Manager, Advertising – Brian Darney
Senior Associate Manager, Advertising – Amanda Barbosa
Deutsch Credits and Titles:
Creative Credits:
Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat
Executive Creative Director: Brett Craig
Creative Director: Ken Slater
Creative Director: Rich Ford
Senior Art Director: Jamie Kiersted
Copywriter: Bobby O’Neill
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Integrated Producer: Paul Roy
Senior Integrated Producer: Mariana Perin
Music Director: Eryk Rich
Music Producer: Chase Butters
Music Coordinator: Dez Davis
Account Management Credits:
Group Account Director: Matt Matzen
Account Supervisor: Kelly Childers
Account Executive: Jenny Wolf
Assistant Account Executive: Eddy Perezic

Account Planning:
Co-Director of Strategy: Lindsey Allison
Strategy Director: Armando Potter

Business Affairs/Traffic:
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Executive Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Charissa Kinney
Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Ana Barraza

Executives:
CEO, North America: Mike Sheldon
President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty
Live Action Production Company
Production Company: Reset
Director/Cinematographer: Wally Pfister
Managing Director: Dave Morrison
Executive Producer/Bidding: Jen Beitler
Head of Production: JP Colombo
Line Producer: James Graves

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