The site of another food truck meandering through Times Square this past Cinco de Mayo may not have seemed interesting at first glance. However, this was not your typical roach coach. Roaches were definitely not the on the menu. True to its name, the Dos Equis “Brave Taco Truck” offered daring participants samples of tacos filled with either ostrich, cow tongue, veal brain or grasshopper.
“Everything we did from the truck branding to the taco fillings is about being truly “interesting”, said Senior Brand Director Paul Smailes for the Mexican beer. “We tested a lot of recipes and samples but settled on the ones we did because it gives everyone a chance to have an experience they’ll share and remember.”
From late April through May 7, the truck made multiple stops each day throughout Manhattan to dispense the selection of exotic taco fare. The tacos were free, but limited to three per person. Beer was not sampled off the truck.
Beyond the sampling, Dos Equis reached out to its audience through multiple social media outlets. It’s Facebook page has over 1.1 million “likes” and featured a “Taco Tracker” map indicating all 21 truck stops. In addition, the Facebook page included Twitter updates and asked fans to check in on Foursquare and Facebook Places.
Dos Equis will measure results based on the social impact that the brand is making through Facebook and Twitter and number of taco samples distributed. Measuring the impact of elevating shopper engagement and brand purchase is less defined. As shopper marketing adapts and evolves towards more holistic solutions along the path to purchase, any lack of integration seems a missed brand opportunity.
Photo From Trendhunter.
Contributed by Paul Ballew
