Taco Bell Rolls Out Ads

Taco Bell Inc. says it plans to spend $200 million--the most the company has ever spent--for a new advertising campaign that will be introduced tonight during prime-time television broadcasts.

The new campaign, “Nothing Ordinary About It,” is based upon wide consumer research indicating that consumers are feeling better about themselves and the American Dream, the company said.

Taco Bell hired noted pollster Louis Harris to conduct a nationwide poll that, among other things, suggests that Americans want to escape from the ordinary. Taco Bell’s new commercials tell viewers that the company’s Mexican-style fast food is just the ticket for consumers anxious to escape the look-alike fast-food world.

The campaign, created by the Bozell Worldwide advertising agency, includes six commercials that are designed to capture the “spirit, flavor and excitement of Taco Bell.” Subsequent commercials will focus on the chain’s speed of service, customer value and the fact that many Taco Bell restaurants are open around the clock.

Taco Bell, with worldwide sales of $4.5 billion, has 4,600 restaurants. The chain said Friday that it sells more than 4.5 million tacos each day.