Taco Bell partners with Speed for media capabilities
Mexican inspired fast food chain, Taco Bell has appointed independent agency Speed to handle its media account.
The partnership will see Speed handle all media capabilities, with the agency working closely with existing agency partners to lead media solutions using data and analytics.
The Yum! brand has been accelerating its re-entry into the Australian market after announcing it would return in 2017, following a 12 year absence.
Ian Perrin, managing partner at Speed
Ian Perrin, managing partner at Speed said: “To say the whole agency is pumped to work on a brand such as Taco Bell is a ridiculous understatement. We look forward to assisting them in growing the business quickly in Australia with innovative and effective media solutions.”
As a result of the client win, three new hires will be announced at Speed next week, taking the total staffing number at the agency to 20.
This is part of a sharp growth period for Speed, after starting 2020 with two permanent staff members, Perrin said its “small fry in the greater scheme of things, but growth we are very proud of”.
A Taco Bell spokesperson said: “We have incredibly ambitious growth plans for the brand in Australia and will be opening a number of restaurants to deliver against this ambition. Critical to this success will be leveraging our data to make more informed decisions. Speed demonstrated outstanding skills in this area, and we can’t be more excited to have them driving our media approach.”
Last month, Taco Bell ran its first ever global campaign, coinciding with the lunar half moon, celebrating its likeness to a taco. As part of the promotion, consumers could visit any Taco Bell globally and by quoting ‘Full Moon’ could receive a ‘Crunch Taco Supreme’ free of charge.
This is Taco Bell’s second run at breaking into the Australian market, after an unsuccessful first attempt led to the brand being pulled out of the country in 2005. Taco Bell is currently operational in 30 countries.
In 2018, Collins Foods, a fast food retailer signed a deal with Taco Bell owner, Yum! to open 50 new locations across Australia between January 2019 and December 2021.
The win adds to Speed’s growing client list, Perrin attributing this to “targeting ambitious data oriented clients with growth potential”.
Speed’s current client list also includes: DuluxGroup, Japan Airlines, B&D Group, Palmer’s Australia and V Energy.
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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