Del Taco's New Marketing Tool is 'Super Special'

With his brand a distant second to Taco Bell in the Mexican quick-service segment, Del Taco vice president of marketing John Cappasola says a new, multiplatform marketing approach underway by the brand will hopefully broaden the company’s customer base.

“Looking at our position in the category, it’s important that we find ways to extend our reach as efficiently as possible,” Cappasola says.

“We knew that integrating what we were doing—a traditional media approach—with social media was going to be really important for us.”

The new campaign, an online video series that launched on Facebook and YouTube in January, has so far helped to more than double the chain’s Facebook fan count.

The Del Taco Super Special Show, an off-the-wall, tongue-in-cheek humor series centered on a variety show from two fictional employees, Wes and Barry, so far includes two Webisodes that feature content shared by Del Taco’s television and radio advertising efforts.

“The show is integrated into all of our media vehicles,” Cappasola says. “We wanted to be able to lift content from the Webisode, so it all would work together, feel very integrated, and give us some continuity in the way that we were presenting our communications.”

Cappasola says Del Taco wanted the videos to be funny so they would be relevant to what customers expect from the brand.

“The humor is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and customers are really appreciating it so far, that we’ve given them a fun way to extend the Del Taco experience beyond the restaurants,” he says.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously; we take our food and our service very seriously.”

The videos, featuring many women and a healthy dose of offbeat humor, are catered more toward young adult men, but Cappasola says Del Taco included “a good mix of content in there that was brand relevant that everyone could relate to.”

Cappasola also says that Del Taco is late to the game with Facebook, but that with the Super Special Show, the company believes it has a successful Facebook formula.

“You have to offer your consumer something that is unique and different and give them a reason to want to be there and spend time with you,” he says. “I don’t think it’s as simple as just building a Facebook page and letting it sit there.

“Ultimately, you’re trying to build that relationship and extend that relationship and give that customer more time with the brand. And in turn, they obviously give you more time.”

Do see the Del Taco Super Special Show Webisodes, which were developed by advertising agency Doner, click here [8].

By Sam Oches