As popular as Taco Bell is in the U.S., the chain recognizes that it has a problem of international relevance. There are numerous QSR consumers outside domestic borders who’ve never been exposed to the Mexican food category.
Therefore, the company can’t just enter a country and shout, “Here’s who we are as a brand.” It also must teach these guests about its food, even to the point of guiding them on how to eat it properly. For instance, some inexperienced customers decide to eat a taco straight on. That’s why Taco Bell introduced “Tiltvertizing,” an ad that forces an onlooker to tilt their head at the perfect angle, similar to how one should properly eat a taco.
“We realized that a lot of people have never been exposed to it, and so we have to go all the way down to ground zero,” says Amy Durini, CMO for Taco Bell International. “But it’s a lot of fun, and people actually really enjoyed it.”
Yum! Brands views Taco Bell International as its next growth engine. The segment grew from 600 units in 2019 to roughly 1,150 units across 32 countries and $1 billion in sales by 2024. The company believes it can reach 3,000 and more than 50 countries by the end of 2030.
The U.K., Spain, Australia, and India—the big international four—have 525 combined restaurants. These same countries are projected to open 785 net new units by the end of 2030. New markets (France, Poland, Germany, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden) are expected to add 415 net new stores over the next few years.
Same-store sales fell 2 percent and 1 percent in Q1 and Q2 2024, respectively, but lifted 1 percent and 3 percent in Q3 and Q4 to close out the year. Additionally, 50 percent of franchised units had over 10 percent EBITDA margin in 2024 compared to 20 percent in 2023. More than 50 percent of sales come through digital channels.
Looking to Taco Bell U.S. as the standard, Durini’s strategy to boost international awareness revolves around deepening brand buzz, showcasing core occasions, highlighting value equity, and fueling digital and media.
In 2025, Taco Bell will emphasize everyday pricing on menus by driving burritos and chicken and further implementing its Cravings Value Menu. It will also fuel awareness with global creative platforms. One is “Get the Most Out of Your Bag,” highlighting Taco Bell’s value proposition. Additionally, there’s “How to Taco Bell”—which pushes against the category relevance issue and teaches the dos and don’ts of Taco Bell—and a “Core Crave” platform aimed at building core equities the brand is known for (i.e. crunchy, cheesy, spicy, and saucy).
The chain will then seed itself in culture by taking what works in the U.S. and spreading it globally. In one example, the brand runs a “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” campaign during MLB’s World Series every year. Taco Bell plans to bring that to soccer—a more global sports platform—by giving away tacos every time a player hits the crossbar. Another is Feed the Beat, a program that’s supported emerging musicians and bands for over 20 years. The same marketing initiative was launched in the U.K. and Australia in 2024, and Durini hopes to bring it to Latin America and Spain.
The brand also launched “Encore Hours,” an international take on the late-night daypart. Taco Bell found that concertgoers had trouble finding places to eat afterward, so the company played off of Taylor Swift—who performed at Wembley Stadium in the U.K. last summer—and let customers know its restaurants would be open past midnight.
“We say cultural rebel is our consumer muse and it is the same internationally. It is our global muse,” Durini says. “So we are taking the cultural rebel out to the world. That’s because we say cultural rebel is a mindset. Not a personification. So it really is about how our consumers view the world. Much like how we activate in the markets, it may look differently but it should feel the same everywhere. So yes we are cultural rebels and we’re global cultural rebels. So regardless of whether you’re in India or whether you’re in Guatemala or Spain, you’re a cultural rebel even if it looks different.”
The formula has worked particularly well in the U.K., which saw 20 points of same-store sales improvement in 2024. The market also saw 35 percent growth in unaided awareness, 20 percent growth in value perception, 85 percent growth in craveability, and 20 percent growth in consideration.
In Spain, the use of a barbell menu strategy led to 12 points of same-store sales growth in 2024. In India, a revamp of the core menu fueled a 47-point increase in comps. And in Guatemala—one of Taco Bell’s more established markets—creating buzz around promotions like National Taco Day and immersing in culture led to a 7-point rise in comps.
“We’re super excited to get to 3,000 restaurants by 2030,” Durini says. “That ambition is definitely there, and as we go out and build a brand, we’re building top-line sales to create that momentum to get to 3,000 restaurants. We’re at the beginning. We’re driving brand awareness, and so that is one of our goals. Build category relevance and brand awareness, and as we get scale, we get bigger awareness. But we’re also doing things like being buzzy and getting talked about in culture, which is helping us fuel that momentum forward. And it’ll just build until we get to that 3,000 number.”
