Taco Bell

When Taco Bell announced its long-awaited collaboration with Cheez-It, we knew this culinary mash up was an opportunity to create the biggest internet-y launch of the year for Taco Bell and its Early Access program, captivating the internet prior to the products’ national release. We created “Big CrAIvings,” a campaign to drive impact across the brand’s owned channels and complemented by creators.

AI can do a lot, but it can’t eat (yet). However, with a limited time offer that has the internet this hype already, it was only a matter of time before AI got in on the cravings, too. We created buzz with a stunt that had people questioning what was going on: just before launch, Taco Bell’s Instagram went dark and all previous content (over 2,000 posts) disappeared, leaving our feed blank.

Then, a trickle of chaotic and mysterious posts soon appeared. One by one, fantastical, AI-generated images of Crunchwraps and Cheez-Its (secretly designed by AI Creators) began appearing in feed.

When people saw that the entire feed was wiped, they were alarmed. All eyes were on our feed. We amplified the message by engaging creators to evoke conspiracy and keep the mystery going.

It all culminated in an announcement post from Taco Bell HQ: AI’s first craving is the Cheez-It Crunchwrap from Taco Bell.