Del Taco Ads Will Debut New Mascot

McDonald’s has Ronald. Jack in the Box has Jack. Taco Bell has a Chihuahua.

Now perennial underdog Del Taco Inc. is looking to have its own fast-food icon. His name is Del Taco, a dashing, heroic figure at the center of the Laguna Hills-based chain’s ambitious new advertising campaign set to debut Tuesday in television and radio spots.

The ads, which spoof old spaghetti western movies, are a dramatic departure for the chain, which recently hired a new advertising agency, WongDoody, and gave it an edict to expand Del Taco’s appeal beyond its core customer base of young males.

“When you are a distant No. 2, you need a personality,” said Tracy Wong, chairman and creative director of WongDoody. “I think there is a sort of underdog mentality that [Del Taco] has, which is something we wanted to play to. One of the most successful advertising icons in the market today is the [Taco Bell] Chihuahua, so you better put a face on your brand and it better be interesting.”

Del Taco, which did an estimated $325 million in sales last year, has 340 stores in 10 states and is planning to open 14 new locations in Arizona this year. Still, the privately owned chain has long lived in the considerable shadow of Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp., which has more than 7,000 locations and recent annual sales topping $4 billion.

Del Taco’s new advertising message--”Bringing better Mexican food to the people”--will be delivered in a Southwestern setting complete with dramatic musical score. The chain’s new hero is called on to fight against the tyranny of his nemesis, the Commandante, a character that is supposed to represent an unnamed “corporate conglomerate fast-food chain,” Wong said.

The first commercials featuring the new Del Taco character will promote the chain’s Macho Burrito line, a variety of 1-pound burritos added to the menu in 1997. Del Taco restaurants will be decked out with window decals and roof banners that hammer home the new theme.

Del Taco’s previous television campaign, conceived by its former advertising agency, Italia/Gal in Los Angeles, for the first time pointedly made fun of Taco Bell’s successful promotion of the Chihuahua that is fond of saying, “Yo quiero Taco Bell.”

In that commercial, an unnamed competitor’s drive-through speaker peers over a hedge to get a better view of Del Taco’s drive-through. The speaker sees a black limousine with the license plate “Yo Quiero” pass through the line and asks, “Is that you, boss?”

Wong said the new ads will focus more on Del Taco.

“We just feel like rather than playing off of [Taco Bell’s] equity, we will create our own,” he said.

WongDoody, which has offices in Los Angeles and Seattle, was hired in early May. Italia had the Del Taco account for seven years but chose not to compete for a new contract.

Financial terms of the new campaign were not disclosed, but Del Taco spends about $10 million a year on advertising and is planning to spend more this year than ever, said Annette Shehan, vice president of marketing for Del Taco.

Experts believe the new campaign could help Del Taco stand out more in the crowded fast-food world.

“It would give a personality to Del Taco which I think Del Taco lacks,” said Randall Hiatt, an Irvine-based restaurant consultant. “Effective characters help your advertising.”

Robert Sandelman, president of a Brea-based market research company that specializes in the restaurant industry, points to the success Jack in the Box has had in recent years with the resurrection of its Jack character in cleverly produced commercials.

“[Jack in the Box] has been able to have a lot of continuity with an icon that’s very directly related to the brand name,” Sandelman said. “It’s hard to say what a good icon is because there’s really no rules on what works. It’s best if they come up with a character that won’t wear off too quickly.”