Taco Bell® “Thinks Outside the Park”

San Francisco, CA - It could have been a feeding frenzy! During games three, four, and five of the 2002 World Series in San Francisco, Taco Bell teamed up with Pepsi and Major League Baseball to offer Americans a free taco if any batter could knock a home run out of the park and hit the fast-food giant’s target. To prepare for the potential payout, Taco Bell covered its bases and called on SCA Promotions to cover the event.

Taco Bell built the promotion around its new, innovative tagline “Think Outside the Bun.” By placing its 15-foot floating target reading “Free Taco Here” in McCovey Cove, just out of Pacific Bell Park, the company urged batters to “Think Outside the Park.”

The Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants played three World Series games at Pacific Bell Park between October 22 and October 24. Every time a batter
stepped up to the plate, there was a chance Americans would get a free Crunchy Beef Taco. The two teams and Taco Bell both knew it was possible to hit a home run into the cove. Since the park opened in 2000, 27 home runs have landed in the San Francisco Bay.

“Taco Bell wanted to tap into a topical event that everyone was already talking about,” said Laurie Gannon, public relations director, Taco Bell Corp. “Our team brainstormed on the World Series and believed that the “Think Outside the Park” event would help bring attention to our brand personality and new tagline, “Think Outside the Bun.” It proved to be the perfect fit.”

The promotion helped Taco Bell create extensive media coverage. After generating a press release announcing the possible free tacos, media coverage was almost immediate. From Internet stories to radio and TV mentions, Taco Bell was on target to meet or exceed its desired brand awareness. The company achieved over four billion Brand Gross Impressions.

 
“SCA is always willing to ‘think outside the box’ and provide prize coverage and assistance for unusual, exciting promotion ideas,” says Bob Hamman, founder and chairman of SCA.

During the World Series games, Taco Bell’s presence was highly visible. The company received millions of dollars in media exposure.

“SCA’s service is always firstrate,” said Gannon. “It’s great to know that SCA is willing and able
to cover us when we have a hit idea.”
 “It’s great to know that SCA is willing and able to cover us when we have a hit idea.”
Laurie Gannon
Public Relations Director
Taco Bell Corp.

This is not the first time Taco Bell has offered Americans a chance at free tacos. In 2001, the company tied into the Russian Mir space station’s descent to earth. If Mir hit the 40-by-40-foot target floating in the South Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia, Taco Bell would have awarded everyone in the U.S. a free taco. Even though the odds were extreme, the potential of the payout was enough of a risk to cause Taco Bell to enlist SCA .