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Taco Bell Parodies Horror Film Trailers

January 8, 2021 by Robert Marich Leave a Comment

Joe Keery in ad
Joe Keery suffers angst in a Taco Bell TV commercial parody of horror film trailers.
taco bell spoof
The signature art for Taco Bell’s “The Craving” oozes the horror genre.

Movie trailers are ingrained in popular culture evidenced by others imitating. These include TV series promotions trying to capture a cinema-like prestige and consumer goods, such as the Taco Bell restaurant chain.

“The Craving” advertising campaign for Taco Bell spoofs youth horror film trailers. It’s the sixth round of Taco Bell TV commercials playing off film trailers, dating back to 2018.

One of those six was a tie-in of sorts to a specific film — a 25-year-old movie, “Demolition Man,” in the restaurant chain’s “Web of Fries II” campaign back in 2018.

In the current Craving campaign, the Taco Bell TV commercials feature youth TV stars Sarah Hyland and Joe Keery — who overcome unseen, dark forces withholding tasty food, but ultimately prevail.

There’s angst and jeopardy, all harkening back to horror films and their trailers. Taco Bell’s Chief Global Brand Officer Nikki Lawson is quoted in a press release saying that Cravings “brought to life with our next saga of the Nacho Fries movie franchise.” A press release also describes the campaign as anchored by “trailer-style creative.”

The association is a natural striking a familiar chord from pop culture. The touchstone horror movie trailers are staples of entertainment for teenagers and young adults, which are the targets demographics of the Taco Bell commercials.

  • Press Release: Taco Bell’s ‘The Craving’
  • iSpot.tv: Taco Bell TV Commercial ‘The Craving’
  • YouTube video: The Craving – Nacho Fries (Commercial) Taco Bell
  • IMDB: Taco Bell’s Demolition Man-Themed Commercial is a Dramatic and Intense Ad For Nacho Fries (2018)
  • Muse by Cleo: The Fries & the Furious: Taco Bell’s New ‘Trailer’ Hits Small Screens

Filed Under: creative, news Tagged With: affinity groups, demographics, genre, movie trailers

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