News

Taco Bell wants college students to think of brand as 'cool friend'

November 17, 2014

Taco Bell has teamed up with ESPN to create the college football playoffs' first "official student section." According to Forbes, Taco Bell signed a multiyear agreement with the CFP and ESPN last week.

The brand has been an official sponsor of the BCS since 2006.

The re-upped agreement includes the first official student section for the CFP. The goal is to "build energy and remembrance of what it's like to be a student college football fan," the story said.

Will Bortz, Taco Bell's manager of brand partnerships and sponsorships, told Forbes: "When we looked at these big bowl games, we saw that there wasn’t an organized fashion to where the student section would be located.  Working with the College Football Playoff and ESPN, we wanted to create that place and an environment that serves as the best place for the passion to come alive."

As part of the campaign, a 1,000-person student section will be featured at each of the three CFP games. Taco Bell will give 500 students from each participating school free tickets to the student section.

CMO Chris Brandt said the partnership is a "natural fit" for Taco Bell because the brand is "after those people in their 20s and we want to be a part of that culture."

"We have a broader strategy to move people who enjoy Taco Bell from being just fans of our food to being our friends.  We want them to consider Taco Bell the cool friend," he said in the story.