Taco Bell’s “Web of Fries” movie trailer sold a whole lot of nacho fries, so Taco Bell is considering what any movie studio would do—order a sequel.
Launched in January, Taco Bell’s trailer for a non-existent movie called “Web of Fries” told the story of a man who stumbles on a conspiracy by “Big Burger” to squelch any competition. The protagonist, played by Josh Duhamel (Love, Simon), finds himself obsessed about uncovering the truth about why Taco Bell doesn’t offer fries and finds himself being threatened by “the burger people” who don’t want the world to know.
“A lot of people are selling fries,” Tracee Larocca, Taco Bell’s senior vice president of advertising and brand engagement told Variety. “We had to find a way that felt really different and get people’s attention.”
The trailer resulted in 53 million orders of nacho fries within the first five weeks of its campaign. In the first weeks following the trailer, one in three orders included Nacho Fries. Now, Larocca said, the quick service restaurant is considering a sequel.
This is good news for fans of the trailer, which ended in a life-threatening cliffhanger.
Taco Bell has adopted a tongue-in-cheek marketing approach for years, from using a talking chihuahua as a spokesperson to offering wedding ceremonies in its Las Vegas restaurant.
Short films can be an effective way of telling a brand’s story in a short amount of time. In 2016, Chipotle released a Pixar-like animated film called “Love” that told the story of two young entrepreneurs brought together with fresh ingredients.
Pepsi’s “Uncle Drew” series of ads, starring NBA Kyrie Irving in disguise, has evolved from a short film into a full-length movie hitting theaters this summer.
“Web of Lies” looks like a real film. Time will tell if a “Web of Fries” Part 2 can match the campaign’s initial success and if would ever spawn a full-length adaptation.
