Its no secret the McDonald’s empire is the king of fast food breakfast! It would take either a very stupid or very brave company to try and take the throne away. That is exactly what Taco Bell attempted and instead started a war. This week Taco Bell introduced a new breakfast item, the waffle taco.
In order for Taco Bell to promote their newest menu item, they rolled out several “new commercials featuring real people named Ronald McDonald enjoying their new treats.” The campaign featured two-dozen “everyday” men named Ronald McDonald. None of these men resembled the red-haired clown. All were featured chowing down on the new breakfast item, visibly enjoying it. Clearly, the fast food chain was specifically targeting the king of fast food restaurants, McDonald’s.
This new launch did not sit well with McDonald’s and rather than throw an attack back, McDonald’s decided to be the “bigger person” and responded graciously. The company took to Facebook with the most gracious reply stating, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” alongside a photo of Ronald McDonald petting a Chihuahua. Based on the photo, the tiny little Chihuahua stares intimidated and frightened at the mighty Ronnie. Showing Taco Bell could never reach the status of McDonald’s.
Along with the release of the photo, McDonald’s used this event as a chance to promote their famous breakfast items. Senior Vice President of McDonald’s U.S. menu innovation, Greg Watson, stated; “This event is McDonald’s way of encouraging new guests to try McCafe Coffee while giving our breakfast lovers even more reason to enjoy the great taste of our signature blend.” Supposedly, this was not directly in response to Taco Bell’s new breakfast rollout, but a plan that has been stirring for a while.
The competition among fast food chains is heating up while restaurants continue to revamp their menu items in order to get the most customers to spend the most money. But of all the restaurants competing, McDonald’s still holds the top spot in sales and is not expected to fall anytime soon.
References
McDonald’s Has a Pretty Good Comeback to Taco Bell’s Hijacking of Ronald | Adweek.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/mcdonalds-has-pretty-
good-comeback-taco-bells-hijacking-ronald-156627
McDonald’s offers free coffee after Taco Bell breakfast rollout – latimes.com. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-mcdonalds-
free-coffee-taco-bell-breakfast-
20140328,0,6721048.story?track=rss#axzz2xPTSbBcM
Loyola Digital Advertising [로욜라 디지털 광고] 
Although I love Taco Bell and think they are one of the coolest companies in terms of marketing, their new breakfast menu just does not compare to that of Mcdonalds. I think it’s funny because they have probably been waiting to somehow throw themselves in the ring. Tacos v burgers doesn’t exactly make sense, but I guess breakfast v breakfast does even if Taco Bell’s is a little unconventional.
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I think the competition between the two is pretty funny. Taco Bell openly stated that they aren’t trying to beat McDonalds, they recognise that that’s not possible. I like the ad banter between the two right now. Hopefully it stays light and fun and doesn’t go too slanderous how some companies have been in the past.
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I’m interested to see how this plays out. I know a lot of people were looking forward to Taco Bell’s breakfast.
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Honestly, I love Taco Bell and think their entire marketing campaign and brand personality is perfect. What they did with the launch of their new breakfast menu is no different. Has anyone else seen the #BreakfastPhone?! So I don’t really get why they took a cheap shot at McDonalds. Either way, I don’t think either one will be too greatly affected.
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